•
: -
JANUARY 1984 Vol. 9, No. 1
$3.50 in USA
$3.95 in Canada/£2.10 in U.K.
Adot
matrix printer
thatwill
improve your
image.
i; ;
\ ■■ '■
Meet the Apple* Image-
writer, the newest dot matrix
printer for your Apple Personal
Computer.
And with all that it has
going for it, just maybe the
best dot matrix printer on
the market.
Take legibility, for
instance.
The Imagewriter crams
140 x 160 dots into each
square inch. So you get text
that's highly readable and high
resolution graphics, besides.
And is it fast.
The Imagewriter cruises
at an unbelievable
120 characters per
second. And that's |
just in the text mode.
It's even faster
printing graphics. 180
characters per second,
to be exact.
What's more, the
graphics dump is up to
60% faster than other
comparably priced dot matrix N
printers. And that makes the
Imagewriter fast enough to
handle the Lisa! 1 "
Yet it's just as at home with an
Apple III or Apple He. Thanks to Apple
software experts who designed the
control electronics to give tne Imag
writer perfect compatibility Not to'
mention some special capabilities
APPLE PRESENTS TH
E IMAGEWRITER APPLE PR
ESENTS THE IMAGEWRITER APPLE PRESENT
S THE WAGEURITER tfT>LE PRESENTS THE II1ACEURITER APPL!
like superscript and subscript, to
name just two.
Now, with all this high-speed
performance, you'd expect the
Imagewriter to make the Devil's
Own Noise. It doesn't. In fact,
the Imagewriter is specially
constructed — with overlaid
seams and special sound-
deadening materials — to achieve
a remarkable 53 dB. How loud is a
remarkable 53 dB? You'd make
more noise if you read this aloud.
The Imagewriter even has quiet
good looks, since we designed it to
look like the rest of the Apple Family.
Yet even with all
its improvements,
the Imagewriter is a
better deal than any
other dot matrix print-
er with comparable
performance. And you can print that.
Charge!
Go out there and get the Apple
Personal Computer System you
really want. Now. Without laying out
your extra cash. Without tying up
your other lines of credit. With the
Apple Card. The only consumer credit
card reserved exclusively for the
purchase of Apple Computers, peri-
pherals and software.
Like all our products, it works
simply:
Fill out an application (short to
the point and annotated in English)
at an authorized Apple dealer
honoring the Card. Your salesperson
will call in the application and in
mostcasesgetan approval for you
right on the spot.
You can then take your Apple
system home. You don't even nave to
wait for the Card; we'll mail it out
to you. And by the time you get it,
you'll probablvbe well into doing
whatever you bought your Apple
system to do.
There is no annual fee for the
Card, although a couple of restric-
tions do apply. The first purchase
must include an Apple Personal
Computer and you nave to put 10%
down. And subsequent purchases
need to be at least $100 if made with
the Card. Oh, yes — you'll also have
a credit limit
When you use the Apple Card to
make additional purchases, all you
have to do is show the Card ana sign
the invoice. As long as it's within
your credit limit, or course. Our
dealers get a little nervous when
someone signs for half their inven-
tory. You understand.
You'll also receive monthly
statements that include the latest
purchases, credit available, and the
minimum payment due. You' 11 also
be happy to know Apple Card credit
terms are affordable and the pay-
ments can be spread out It's all
spelled out for you
at the time your Card
is approved.
So stop by a participating
authorized Apple dealer and get
an Apple Card. Just think of it as
credit where credit is due.
Giveyour floppy disks the boot
We call it the "floppy disk
shuffle." It happens when you have
two or more software programs on
floppies and you need to work with
both. What do you do? You put one
disk in, boot it, do your work, take it
out, put the other disk in, boot it,
do your work — you get the idea.
Well, you can stop shuffling any
time now.
Thanks to a unique new soft-
ware program called Catalyst™ from
Quark, Inc. Specially designed for
your Apple III and Profile™ hard disk.
Catalyst allows you to take a
wide variety of software programs
and store them on your Profile. Once
they're on your Profile, you just
select the program you want from the
Catalyst menu that appears on your
monitor — then Catalyst does the
rest. You'll never have to boot those
programs again.
What kinds of programs will
work with Profile and Catalyst?
Almost anything written for the
Apple III including copy-protected
programs likeVisiCalcf Quick File™
andApple Writer EL Or languages like
Eascal,BASIC, or COBOL
And once you've loaded these
programs into your Profile, the only
diskette you may ever need is the
Catalyst.
So if you have an Apple III and a
Profile and more floppies than you
care to flip through, get yourself a
Catalyst. And boot those disks for good.
Apple Computer Inc., 20525 MarianiAve., Cupertino, CA 95014. For the authorized Apple dealer nearest you, call (800) 538-9696. In Canada, call (800) 268-7796 or (800) 268-7637. © 1983 Apple Computer Inc.
VisiCalc is a trademark of VisiCorp, Inc. Catalyst is a trademark of Quark, Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Quick File and Profile arc trademarks of Apple Computer Inc.
Circle 485 on inquiry card.
In The Queue
evil
rann
Volume 9, Number
K • • •
Page 37
Page 122
Columns
37 Build the Circuit Cellar Term-Mite ST Smart Terminal, Part I: Hardware by
Steve Garcia / Thanks to advancing technology you can construct an intelligent video
terminal with just 21 integrated circuits.
5 3 BYTE West Coast: Beyond the Word Processor by Phil Lemmons / Tomorrow's
text editors may facilitate text composition from the earliest conceptual stages to the analysis
of finished documents.
61 User's Column: Too Many Leads, or What In *;7I#"*7 Goes First? by Jerry
Poumelle / Jerry covers a lot of territory this month, beginning his journey of a thou-
sand words with a trip to the Circuit Cellar.
Themes
100 1984 and Beyond by G. Michael Vose / The year calls up inevitable associations
with George Orwell's novel of a futuristic, technologically oppressed society and raises
questions concerning the present and future significance of technology to our own culture.
104 Reason and the Software Bus by Michael F. Korns / The Reason research proj-
ect, exploring artificial intelligence, has developed a software bus that may have a signifi-
cant effect on future software. As a hardware bus uses ICs, so the software bus manipulates
various program components to provide integration, networking, and multitasking.
122 A General-Purpose Robot-Control Language by Dan Prendergast, Bill Slade,
and Nelson Winkless / By bridging the communication gap between people and robots,
a plain-language system called Savvy increases the usefulness of these mechanical
assistants.
134 1984, the Year of the 32-blt Microprocessor by Richard Mateosian/As
manufacturers rush to introduce their 32-bit designs, it's time to take a look at what these
microprocessors are and what they're good for.
1 54 Memory Cards: A New Concept In Personal Computing by Mark Mills / Pic-
ture a microcomputer without a keyboard, without a power supply, and small enough
to fit in your wallet. That's just one possible application of memory-card technology.
172 Computer-aided Design by Rik Jadmicek / CAD capabilities on desktop systems
can simplify a variety of tasks, from flowcharting to product design, but the choices in
hardware and software can be baffling.
213 Speech Recognition: An Idea Whose Time Is Coming by George M.
White / While the mult/disciplinary nature of the technology may slow its advance, speech
recognition is well on its way to becoming a major factor in our interactions with machines.
2 26 Using Natural-Language Systems on Personal Computers by Jane Eisenberg
and Jeffrey Hill / Artificial intelligence offers possible solutions to the problems of com-
munication between people and computers.
243 Portables— 1984 and Beyond: Idea-Processing Software and Portable Com-
puters by David Winer and Peter Winer / When your personal computer leaps off your
desktop and into your briefcase, what type of software will accompany it?
251 Beyond the Application Program: A Different Approach to Integrated Soft-
ware by John Banning / Element managers that implement objects such as spreadsheet
tables and paragraphs may supplant the traditional concept of the application program.
Reviews
267 Reviewer's Notebook by Rich Malloy / This month's notes touch on Seequa
Computer Corporation's Chameleon Plus and new trends in the printer market.
268 The Zenith Z-100 by Ken Skier / Supporting both 8-bit and 16-bit software, the
Z-100 also offers impressive color graphics.
Page 172
BYTE is published monthly by McGraw-Hill Inc., with offices at 70 Main St.. Peterborough, NH 03458. phone
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Postage paid at Winnipeg, Manitoba. Registration number 932 1 . Subscriptions are S2I for one year, S38fortwo
years, and S55 for three years in the USA and its possessions. In Canada and Mexico, S23 for one year, S42
January 1984
282 Plnball Construction Set by Elaine Holden / Tired of the same old pinball games?
Try creating your own with this software-design package.
288 The TRS-80 Model 1 6B with Xenix by Steve Barry and Randy Jacobson / One
of the most significant features of Radio Shack's new computer is its Unix-derived operating
system.
324 Maturalllnk to Dow Jones Mews/Retrieval by Mark Haas / A new software
package from Texas Instruments simplifies access to a financial database.
339 The Vamp DVM-1 Computer/TV Interface Kit by Richard F. Gillette / The pic-
ture quality of your display can suffer when you use a radio-frequency modulator to in-
terface your computer's video output to a standard color television, but a kit from Vamp
offers an alternative.
349 The Einstein Compiler by Peter Callamaras / In addition to speeding up Apple-
soft BASIC programs, the Einstein compiler provides statistical information on the programs
compiled and can function as a debugging tool.
354 The Basis 108 by Seth P. Bates / Apple compatibility is just one of this German
import's interesting features.
Features
362 Bubbles on the S-100 Bus, Part 1: The Hardware by Louis Wheeler / Using
Intel's BPK 72 Bubble-Memory Prototype Kit, you can put together a 128K-byte bubble-
memory board for an S-100 bus system.
384 Mockingbird: A Composer's Amanuensis by John Turner Maxwell III and
Severo M. Ornstein / The chief purpose of this music notation editor from Xerox is to
help composers capture their ideas by speeding up the notation process.
403 The VU68K Single-Board Computer by Edward M. Carter and A. B.
Bonds / You can construct a 68000-based system for under S200.
417 Translating the SAS Language Into BASIC by Jeff Bass / A preprocessor pro-
gram that translates SAS-fike statements into equivalent BASIC statements permits SAS-
like programs to run on a microcomputer.
437 A Software Review Method That Really Works by Andrew Citron / The group
wa/k-through, a process of "playing computer," provides a workable means of correcting
programming problems.
442 Real-Time Clocks and PC-DOS 2.0 by David Broadwell / A device-driver pro-
gram for the clock chip on a typical multifunction board takes advantage of special provi-
sions in the IBM PC operating system.
Nucleus
4
Editorial: Revisiting the
476
Luddites
478
9
MICROBYTES
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BYTE's User to User
558
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Ask BYTE
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EUE
the small systems j ournal
Editor In Chief: Lawrence J. Curran
Managing Editor: Philip Lemmons
Senior Technical Editors: Gregg Williams,
Richard Malloy, G. Michael Vose
Technical Editors: Richard S. Shuford, Arthur A.
Little, Stanley Wszola, Bruce Roberts, Gene
Smarte, Richard Krajewski, Jane Morrill Tazelaar;
Anthony J. Lockwood, New Products Editor;
Steve Ciarcia, Consulting Editor; Mark Welch,
Staff Writer; Alan Easton, Drafting Editor.
West Coast Editors: Ezra Shapiro, Technical
Editor; Donna Osgood, Assistant Editor. McGraw-
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CA 94111, (415) 362-4600
Copy Editors: Nancy Hayes, Chief; Warren
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Production: David R. Anderson, Assoc. Director;
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Gene W. Simpson, John E. Slater. Vice President
Publishers: Charlton H. Calhoun III, Richard H. Larsen,
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Business Systems Development; Shel F. Asen,
Manufacturing; Michael K. Hehir, Controller; Eric B.
Herr, Planning and Development; H. John Sweger,
Jr., Marketing.
Editorial
Revisiting the
Luddites
As 1984 dawns, only a small fraction of the general population of this nation owns
or regularly operates a computer. Indeed, there is still widespread concern that the
increasing encroachment of computers into daily life carries with it the threat of sub-
stantial unemployment as computers displace people on the job. We think an article
that appeared last summer in the Wall Street Journal ("The Luddite Answer to
Unemployment") addresses the fears of those who remain unconvinced that com-
puters aren't threatening. The article was written by Bruce Bartlett, executive direc-
tor of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress. We've reprinted it here because
we think Mr. Bartlett's views deserve an even broader audience. . . . Lawrence J.
Curran, Editor in Chief
In the early 1800s a group of British
workers, concerned that the intro-
duction of machinery was destroying
jobs in the textile industry, went
about destroying such machines in
the hope of saving jobs. They issued
proclamations in the name of the
mythical King Ludd of Sherwood
Forest and became known as Lud-
dites. They still exist, although they
no longer smash textile equipment.
Instead, they issue dire warnings
about how computers and robots are
destroying jobs and will create an
economic crisis unless the federal
government adopts massive new pro-
grams to absorb the new unem-
ployed.
Wassily Leontief, a Nobel laureate
in economics, argues that increasing
technology and automation will
lower real incomes, as workers at-
tempt to forestall technological in-
novation by reducing their wages.
Nevertheless, he sees the tide of tech-
nology moving relentlessly onward,
leaving in its wake a vast army of
unemployed. Assemblyman Tom
Hayden in California put the issue
even more starkly:
"The economy is moving toward
dependence on machines instead of
human labor as a means of produc-
ing goods in each plant, and toward
high-technology, capital-intensive in-
dustries in place of older, established
craft or labor-intensive processes. As
this 'progress' rolls on, fewer and
fewer jobs are created per dollar in-
vested. Each recovery from recession
involves a greater investment of
capital in expensive, high-tech in-
dustry, and this in turn makes greater
unemployment a growing likeli-
hood:'
Echoing the Line
There is, of course, not a scrap of
evidence in either theory or history
to suggest that technological develop-
ment won't increase employment
and real incomes today just as it
always has. Those who suggest
otherwise are just echoing the Lud-
dite line.
One can go back as far as Adam
Smith for evidence. In the first chap-
ter of "The Wealth of Nations" Smith
tells his famous story about the pin
factory where a single worker with-
out machinery "could scarce, per-
haps, with his utmost industry, make
one pin in a day, and certainly could
not make twenty." But with the intro-
duction of machinery a single worker
could make as many as 4,800 pins a
day. Given the number of pinmakers
in England at that time and the de-
mand for pins, such machinery
should have created about 99% un-
4 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
How Cromemco plugs
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||§p£^
Editorial .
employment in the pinmaking indus-
try. Obviously it did not because the
vast increase in pinmaking produc-
tivity resulting from mechanization
so lowered the cost of making pins
that new uses for them were dis-
covered. Moreover, the increased real
income of those who previously used
high-cost, handmade pins increased
demand for other products and gave
rise to employment in other indus-
tries, not the least being makers of
machines for pinmaking.
Another aspect of the new Luddite
argument is that rising productivity
is not altogether a good thing. As
Robert Kuttner asks in The Atlantic,
"What would happen if all the
physical goods were produced by
robots? The one worker who flipped
the switch would boast astronomical-
ly high productivity. What should he
be paid? And what would everyone
else do for a living?" Somewhat along
these same lines I have heard mem-
bers of Congress express concern that
if productivity rises too rapidly in the
current recovery more output will be
achieved without reducing unem-
ployment.
Again, the flaw is static analysis-
assuming that things won't change,
that technology and automation
won't change relative prices or in-
comes, that the economy will essen-
tially continue to produce the same
goods in the same quantities only
using less labor.
One might respond by asking what
our economy would look like without
rising productivity. In 1910 the Bell
System had 121,310 employees. Ap-
proximately 7 million calls were
placed that year, or 57 per employee.
In 1981 the Bell System had 874,000
employees, who serviced over 219
billion calls. Had there been no in-
crease in productivity since 1910 it
would have required close to 4 billion
employees to service that many calls.
The result, of course, has been that
telephones are widely available and
calls can be made at very modest cost
compared with 1910. This has given
rise to vast numbers of jobs in every
industry which simply couldn't exist
without efficient, inexpensive phone
service.
While it may be obvious in the long
run that rising productivity and tech-
nological innovation create more jobs
than they destroy, might there still be
short-run adjustment problems to
consider? According to two British
researchers, J. D. Whitley and R. A.
Wilson, who studied the employ-
ment effects of technological change
in the British microelectronics indus-
try, probably not. They identify inter-
related factors that contribute to over-
estimates of employment loss from
new technology.
Those who dwell
on the apparent
adverse effects of
technological change
on employment are
only creating
unnecessary fear
and anguish among
workers- ,/
First, people tend to overgeneralize
from particular case studies. It might
seem obvious that a firm employing
10 secretaries that could get the same
work from one with a word processor
would then lay off nine. But studies
of firms adopting such technology in-
dicate that actual job displacement
amounts to about 10% of the poten-
tial effect. In this case, therefore, only
one secretarial position is likely to be
permanently lost in that firm.
Second, people tend to be overly
optimistic about the speed at which
new technology will be adopted.
They imply that adopting it is some-
how costless. Yet it is clear that creat-
ing and implementing technology re-
quires previous investment in both
physical and human capital.
Third, Whitley and Wilson found
that there is a tendency to exaggerate
the extent to which microelectronics
represents a completely revolutionary
technology. "Even if microelectronics
represents the major source of tech-
nological change likely to occur dur-
ing the 1980s and 1990s," they say, "it
will need to result in a marked ac-
celeration in the pace of improvement
in productivity for it to displace labor
faster than achieved by previous gen-
erations of technological change. The
general consensus appears to be that
the new technology is best regarded
as a development from previous tech-
nologies rather than a revolutionary
change." Again, the data indicate that
the potential for job loss is much less
than has been generally feared.
Unnecessary Fear
The authors might also have men-
tioned that to the extent productiv-
ity is enhanced it will forestall layoffs
which might take place in plants and
industries where union wage de-
mands would otherwise exceed pro-
ductivity growth.
The Luddite argument has no more
validity today than it had in 1811.
Those who dwell on the apparent ad-
verse effects of technological change
on employment are only creating un-
necessary fear and anguish among
workers who worry they will be laid
off. Though they may not in fact ad-
vocate restrictions on the introduc-
tion of technology, as the Luddites
did, they may be sowing seeds of
discontent which could take root in
other ways. Already there is pressure
for trade restrictions, industrial
policy, plant-closing laws and govern-
ment bailouts for companies in
declining industries. The new Lud-
dite argument only adds to the
pressure.
All this isn't to say that some
specific individuals may not become
unemployed as a result of techno-
logical change. Legitimate efforts
should be made to ease their plight
and help them find new work. But
such instances shouldn't obscure the
larger good to society from increased
productivity. —Bruce Bartlett
Reprinted with permission of the Wall Street
Journal © 1983. Dow Jones and Co. Inc. All
rights reserved.
6 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
?T u ,u y u" \r \i'
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i m m m m m an n w a
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Brilliant!
Here's another brilliant idea from the makers of the
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• 640 x 480 x 16 out of 4096 colors
• Memory -mapped for very high speed operation
• Over 60 2- D drawing primitives, accessible from Basic,
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• High-level software packages available for painting,
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contact Jim Mather at (703) 476-6100, TWX: 710-833-0684,
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Virginia 22091.
8 BYTE January 1984
Circle 315 on inquiry card.
MICROBYTES
Staff-written highlights of late developments in the microcomputer industry.
COMDEX: IBM CLONES AND A NEW TANDY ENTRY
Two major electronics companies, including one of the pioneers of the computer industry, jumped into
the crowded market of IBM PC compatibles at last month's Comdex show in Las Vegas. Sperry Corp.,
inventor of the Univac mainframe, introduced its Sperry Personal Computer. Sperry says its PC is fully
compatible with the IBM but can run 50 percent faster and can talk to both Sperry and IBM main-
frames. Prices range from $2643 (one floppy-disk drive, 128K bytes of RAM, and a monochrome
monitor) to $5753 (one 10-megabyte Winchester, one floppy disk, 128K RAM, and a color monitor).
Lower-priced models are scheduled to be available this month. . . .ITT Corp. showed its XTRA computer,
which is claimed to be operationally compatible with the IBM PC. Major features of the XTRA include a
mouse, 128K to 640K bytesof RAM, color graphics, a processor-unit footprint 30 percent smaller than
IBM's, and prices about 5 percent lower than comparable IBM units. . . .Radio Shack introduced its
Tandy Model 2000, an MS-DOS system using an 8-MHz Intel 80186 central processor instead of the
4.77 MHz 8088 of the IBM PC and look-alikes. The Model 2000 retails for about $3000 with two disk
drives and a monochrome monitor or $4400 with a 10-megabyte hard disk. . . .Radio Shack also
announced that it will support the Ovation software package for the Model 2000. Ovation is a mode-
less word-processor, spreadsheet, information-management, graphics, and communication package.
COMDEX: A HARDWARE DATABASE HELPER
Cogent Data Technologies borrowed an idea from the mainframe and minicomputer worlds to develop a
back-end processor for database processing in multiuser systems. Its Database Machine— a card for the
IBM PC, XT, and 3270-PC— incorporates Winchester control, database commands, and a multitasking
operating system. Using an on-board 80186 chip as a coprocessor allows 64K-byte files to be written in
just over a tenth of a second, Cogent claims. One card will be needed for each hard disk in a network
and will cost from $1500 to $1700.
COMDEX: INTEGRATED SOFTWARE
Among the many integrated software packages making their debuts were 20/20 from Access Technol-
ogy Inc. and DayFlo Inc.'s Personal Information Manager. 20/20 will run on numerous micros, minis, and
mainframes. It incorporates spreadsheet modeling, graphics, data management, scheduling, text
processing, and interfaces to external programs. It will sell for about $500. . . .DayFlo allows free-form
data entry, revision of formats of existing files, word processing, note-taking, forms design, and integra-
tion of external programs such as spreadsheets. It runs on the IBM PC and costs $495.
COMDEX: OPERATING SYSTEMS
Digital Research Inc. introduced two new versions of Concurrent CP/M, a generic version for OEMs and
an IBM PC end-user version featuring windowing. DRI says the OEM version is compatible with PC-DOS
and supports DR Soft/Net, networking software also introduced by DRI at Comdex. The end-user
package will be available through April 1 at promotional prices starting at $150. . . .Cosmos Inc.
announced that it is now an authorized Pick system licensee. Cosmos was showing its Revelation
relational database-management system for the IBM PC. The Revelation system allows both MS-DOS
and Pick applications to run on the PC. (Pick Systems, the developer of the program, will offer an
implementation for the IBM PC XT sometime this quarter.)
COMDEX: A 32-BIT MICRO
Silicon Valley Micro Inc. introduced two 32-bit portable computers with some IBM PC compatibility. De-
scriptively named the $5000 Model and the $10,000 Model, each features both a National Semicon-
ductor NS32032 microprocessor and an Intel 8088, an 80-column thermal printer, a 9-inch, 80 by 25
monitor, a Unix subset and MS-DOS, and serial and parallel ports. In addition, the $5000 Model has
two half-height 360K-byte floppy-disk drives and 512K bytes of RAM. The $10,000 Model adds a
140-megabyte hard disk, a y4-inch 60-megabyte tape drive, and 2 megabytes of RAM.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 9
MICROBYTES-
COMMITTEE ON IN-FLIGHT COMPUTER USE WAITS FOR TEST RESULTS
"Very few airlines that allow portable computers on their planes have actually tested them/' said
Andreas Fraga, chief avionics engineer at Eastern Airlines, after the December meeting of SC-156, the
committee studying potential hazards portable computers might present to airplane navigation equip-
ment. Convinced that "ignorance is our worst enemy," Fraga wants testing before portable computers
are used in planes. One possible result of the study might be a list of approved computers that flight
attendants could refer to. Only three computer manufacturers and five airlines sent representatives to
the meeting. Committee SC-156 of the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics meets again
February 28-29 in Washington, when preliminary test results may be available.
APPLE ANNOUNCES INTEGRA TED SOFTWARE, HARD DISK FOR THE APPLE He
Apple Computer has unveiled Apple Works, a $250 integrated software package for the Apple lie that
includes a word processor, a database manager, and a spreadsheet. A similar program for the Apple III,
called III E-Z Pieces, will be available this month. Apple also announced that the Profile, a 5-megabyte
hard-disk drive previously available only for the Apple III and the Lisa, will be available for the Apple lie
for under $2200.
INMOS ANNOUNCES A 32-BIT 10-MIPS "TRANSPUTER"
Inmos Corp. has announced the IMS T424 transputer, a 32-bit microprocessor with 4K bytes of on-chip
high-speed (50-nanosecond) RAM. Inmos says the transputer will execute an average of 10 million
instructions per second.
UNIX ADDED TO DEC PROFESSIONAL, IBM PC XT, AND APPLE LISA
The Santa Cruz Operation Inc. announced that it will market Microsoft's Xenix operating system for the
IBM Personal Computer XT, the Digital Equipment Corporation Professional 350, and the Apple Lisa for
$595 to $795.
Digital Equipment Corp. announced PRO/V7M, based on Unix version 7, which will cost $695 for its
Professional Computer.
FOUR COMPANIES OFFER IBM COMPATIBLES WITH EXTRA FEATURES
Seequa Computer Corp. and Intertec introduced dual-processor IBM-compatible computers, both with
8086 and Z80 processors. The Seequa XT includes a 10-megabyte hard disk for $3995, without a
monitor. Intertec's HeadStart, with a 314 -inch floppy-disk drive, is priced from $3495. North Star
Computers Inc. and Onyx Systems Inc. introduced multiuser 80186-based computers. The North Star
Dimension allows up to 12 users to access the system, which includes a 15-megabyte hard disk and
two workstations for $7000. Onyx's 186 Series allows multiple users to use Concurrent CP/M-86, or a
single user may use MS-DOS; a single-user system is $4495.
NANOBYTES
Dysan Corp. is entering the software publishing business in an effort to enhance the market position of
3% -inch disks and drives. Dysan plans to enhance and standardize the documentation of the top 100
software packages and market them on 3% -inch disks. . . .Tandon Corp. announced that it will begin
selling 10- and 15-megabyte hard-disk subsystems to IBM Personal Computer users through dealers.
Previously, Tandon sold products only to manufacturers. . . .Digital Research Inc. has announced a
FORTRAN-77 compiler that was developed using a new technology DRI says will enable it to develop
and translate compilers more quickly than in the past. . . .Tri-Data has unveiled the Oz Guardian, a $750
modem that verifies passwords before permitting access to a system. The modem may be programmed
to hang up and call back the phone number associated with that user. . . .Softech Microsystems Inc.
has announced a family of network software products based on its p-System operating system. Initially
available for Corvus's Omninet, software for up to eight users costs $750. . . .Eastman Kodak has
announced that it will manufacture and market Drivetec's high-density 5% -inch disk drive for use in
image storage and analysis applications. Kodak hopes to use its Isomax high-density disk with the drive,
which can store 2.8 megabytes of data on a high-density disk. . . .Lotus Development Corp. is reportedly
working on a version of its popular 1-2-3 spreadsheet program for Motorola's 68000 microprocessor.
10 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Introducing
The Computer That Blew
Their Socks Off At Comdex.
HeadStarT is the smallest, smartest, fastest, most powerful
business computer you can buy. And networkable up to 255
user stations.
Fast? HeadStart's RAM Disk concept permits nearly 50
times faster response than conventional microcomputers. 8 or
16 bit and up to 1 megabyte of user memory.
For more information, call or write: Intertec, 2300 Broad
River Road, Columbia, SC 29210. Phone 803/798-9100.
Circle 195 on inquiry card. llCl l»VSC m
w
*r**4&*-
Introducing COMPAQ PLUS,
the first high-performance portable
personal computer.
The makers of the COMPAQ™
Portable Computer, the indus-
try standard, announce another
breakthrough-the COMPAQ PLUS™
Portable Personal Computer. No other
personal computer can handle so much
information in so many places.
The new COMPAQ PLUS offers the
power of an integrated ten-megabyte
fixed disk drive in a portable. You get
problem-solving power that no other
personal computer can match.
Plus a bigger payload
How much is ten megabytes?
Enough to tackle jobs that can't be
conveniently handled on most personal
computers.
Information that would
fill your company's ledgers can
be stored on the fixed disk drive of the
COMPAQ PLUS.
A mailing list of 100,000 names,
addresses, cities, states, and Zip codes.
A full year of daily prices for every
stock on the New York exchange.
Inventory records on a quarter mil-
lion items.
The entire San Francisco phone
book. And room left over for Peoria.
The fixed disk drive keeps all the |
information seconds away, ready to
be searched, sorted, retrieved, ana-
lyzed or updated.
Plus better use of your time
The integrated fixed disk drive will
store programs. That means your most
used programs and data can be perma-
nently kept in the COMPAQ PLUS,
ready to call up and run.
With programs permanently stored,
the COMPAQ PLUS becomes a well-
informed traveling companion, a tool
to help you apply your best thinking
anytime, anywhere.
You could store a complete library of
accounting programs on the disk-
pay ables, receivables, general ledger,
and payroll— with the company's
books.
You could store an inventory control
program with your inventory records
and a list management program with
your mailing list and a filing program
with your personnel files.
The COMPAQ PLUS is also
equipped with a 360K byte diskette
drive for entering new programs, copy-
ing data files, and making backup
copies.
Plus more programs
More programs means more
versatility. And the COMPAQ
PLUS is impressively versatile
because it runs all the popular
programs written for the IBM*
Personal Computer XT, avail-
able in computer stores all over
^the country. And they run as is, with
no modification whatsoever.
And the high-capacity portable mul-
tiplies the productivity of every pro-
gram it runs. Your inventory and its
The COMPAQ
PLUS runs all
the popular pro-
grams written for the
IBM Personal Computer XT.
control programs can go with you to
the factory. Your books and your
accounting programs can go with you
to a board meeting. Your building specs
and your project management pro-
grams can go with you to the construc-
tion site.
You're buying a computer to solve
problems. Why not have more
problem-solving programs to choose
from?
r *&***:
Specially
designed shock
isolation system protects the fixed
disk fivm jolts.
Plus a traveler's toughness
Life can be tough on the road. A true
portable has got to be tougher. The
COMPAQPLUSis.
Its integrated fixed disk drive is unique,
designed specifically to travel. Rough
roads and hard landings don't bother it
because of a specially designed shock
isolation system that protects the disk
from jolts and vibration.
All the working components are
surrounded by a uniquely cross-
membered aluminum frame. This
structure, common in race car
design technology, strengthens it
side-to-side, front-to-back, and top-
to-bottom.
The outer case is made of LEX AN*,
the same high-impact polycarbonate
plastic used to make bulletproof win-
dows and faceplates for space suit
helmets.
Does a portable personal computer
really have to be this tough? Take
a good look at your briefcase and
then decide.
12 BYTE January 1984
Plus ease of use
The COMPAQ PLUS is big where it
counts.
The display screen is big. Nine inches
diagonally. Big enough to show a full
254ine-by-80-character page that's easy
to read even if you're leaning back in
your chair.
The keyboard is full-sized and
typewriter-style for easy control.
With its built-in display, the
COMPAQ PLUS makes a smooth,
low profile on your desk, not an ob-
stacle that you have to talk around.
Plus an easy way to get started
If you're buying your first personal
computer and you're not sure how
much capacity you need, your choice
is easier now.
Start with the COMPAQ Portable
with single or double 320K byte disk-
ette drives. If you need more capacity
later, upgrade to the COMPAQ PLUS.
A conversion kit is available that
turns the COMPAQ Portable into a
COMPAQ PLUS, complete in every
detail and capability.
Plus a lot more
The COMPAQ PLUS also works with
optional printers, plotters, and com-
munications devices designed for IBM's
personal computer family.
It has two IBM-compatible slots for
adding optional expansion boards.
With companion programs, they'll let
you share information with a network
of personal computers in your office,
communicate with your headquarters
computer files while you're away, or
add memory capacity if your needs
grow.
The COMPAQ Portable, the industry standard
in portable personal computers . w
The problem-solving power of a high-
performance desktop personal computer can
now go where you need it.
It's got high-resolution graphics and
text on the same screen. A detached
keyboard. Programmable function
keys. Expandable memory. Dozens of
other features that simply make it do a
better job of personal computing.
And when you see all that the
COMPAQ PLUS has to offer, you'll
be pleasantly surprised by the price.
The fact is, it costs hundreds less than
comparably equipped desktop personal
computers.
See the first high-performance porta-
ble personal computer. The COMPAQ
PLUS— performance, programs, pro-
ductivity. Plus problem-solving power.
The new COMPAQ PLUS, the first high-
performance portable personal computer, w
COMPAQ PLUS
Specifications
Storage
D One integrated 10-megabyte fixed
disk drive
□ One 360K byte diskette drive.
Software
□ Runs all the popular programs
written for the IBM XT.
Memory
D 128K bytes RAM, expandable to
640K bytes
Display
D 9-inch diagonal monochrome
screen
□ 25 lines by 80 characters
D Upper- and lowercase high-
resolution text characters
D High-resolution graphics
Interfaces
□ Parallel printer interface
□ RGB color monitor interface
D Composite video monitor
interface
D RF modulator interface
Expansion board slots
□ Two IBM-compatible slots
Physical specifications
□ Totally self-contained and
portable
D 20"W x BWH x 16"D
For the name of the
Authorized Dealer nearest
you, call 1-800-231-0900.
°1983 COMPAQ Computer Corporation
COMPAQ™ and COMPAQ PLUS™ are trademarks of
COMPAQ Computer Corporation.
IBM* is a registered trademark of International Business
Machines Corporation.
LEX AN® is a registered trademark of General Electric Company.
comPAa
BYTE January 1984 13
Circle 264 on inquiry card.
Get the
total,
picture.
sa«*-
Improve your present computer
system with a high-resolution
color monitor from NEC.
NEC's JC-T 21 6 gives you the highest
resolution you can get in a color
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the best microcomputers can gen-
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NEC's own PC-8000 and PC-8800.
Compare these specs with your
present monitor:
1 2-inch diagonal screen
RGB input signal with TTL level
Switchable Pos/Neg display
characters
80-character, 25 line display
640(H) x 240fVJ resolution
8x8 dots, 10MHz video
bandwidth
*NECCG-91 cable required
Productivity at your fingertips
NEC
NEC Home Electronics (U.S.A.), Inc.
Personal Computer Division
1401 Estes Avenue
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(312)228-5900
NEC Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
Letters
In Praise of the Morrow
I have just finished "The Morrow Micro
Decision" (October, page 306) by Tom
Wadlow. As the satisfied owner of one of
these fine machines, I must take excep-
tion with a few of his statements.
A user does not have to suffer the in-
dignities inflicted by the Control key. This
is the only review on the Morrow that I've
read (and I've read at least three others)
that does not mention that Morrow offers
two terminals. The more expensive ter-
minal has a much more professional
"feel"; the Control key is located beside
the Lock key.
I agree with the complaint about the
ports. However, the latest advertisements
show that a parallel port has been added.
Didn't the author get the latest informa-
tion before writing his review? The
MD-11, another recent introduction,
should also have been mentioned. It
offers hard-disk storage.
As a first-time microcomputer user, I
found the documentation quite adequate.
Perhaps Mr. Wadlow would prefer Apple;
as far as I know, you still have to pay ex-
tra for its documentation. As far as con-
figuring the terminal, I cannot imagine a
dealer who would not assist in this ad-
mittedly distasteful task.
My only real complaint is that I am still
waiting for the database manager.
I guess the Morrow ads are correct;
maybe it does take a special breed to
recognize the value of the Morrow ma-
chines.
Gregory Diehl
Data Processing Consultant
2561 Hungary Spring Rd.
Richmond, VA 23229
Two other major microcomputer pub-
lications reviewed the Morrow Micro
Decision small-business computer in
September. Based on these reviews and
my own 11-month experience as an MMD
owner, I can only conclude that Tom
Wadlow's October review was superficial
because of an impending deadline.
In any case, I believe Mr. Wadlow
seriously underestimated a machine that
may be the best buy available for the first-
time business user uninterested in
portability.
I have tried in vain to explain to col-
leagues the utility of the MMD's "virtual-
drive" feature for saving files when con-
fronted with a f illed-up disk, for copying
files from one disk to another wirhour
leaving Wordstar, and for other ways to
avoid a few of the irritations that plague
users.
I appreciate the CP/M interrupt that
allows me several tries at a BDOS (basic
disk operating system) error before giv-
ing up and retreating to the operating sys-
tem. Although I'm sure other manufac-
turers could offer these BIOS (basic input/
output system)/BDOS modifications, I
know of no other under-$2000 microcom-
puter that does. Do any over-$2000 ma-
chines offer them?
Similarly, I've found the disk-emulation
feature convenient; friends and coauthors
with Osbornes or IBMs simply mail me
a disk if they don't have a modem. I wish
Mr. Morrow had included a disk-format-
ting option as well, so I wouldn't have to
stockpile supplies of my friends' disks.
In the only "benchmark" in the review,
Mr. Wadlow says the bundled Correct-It
spelling checker is slow in "loading and
sorting," based on his "test" of a single
sentence of 14 words. As anyone who has
used various spelling checkers knows,
most of the time in operating these pack-
ages is spent checking the sorted object
file against the master dictionary. My own
"test" (without leaving Wordstar, thanks
to the MMD virtual-drive feature) found
that Correct-It took only 5.6 seconds to
"load and sort" this 334-word letter. It
then took another 75 seconds to check
each of these words against its 36,000-
word dictionary. Given what a spelling-
checker does, I submit that this is not
slow.
Mr. Wadlow may have revealed himself
as a dedicated "Selectric" keyboarder
when he complained about the location
of the Control key on the MMD keyboard.
As in almost all Lear-Siegler ADM ter-
minals, the Control key is conveniently
located in an easily learned position, im-
mediately below the Z key. But those
used to stretching beyond the left-hand
shift key (as on Apples, IBMs, and many
other terminals) will have trouble ad-
justing. I can assure Mr. Wadlow that the
only drawback to an experienced user is
the difficulty of making a one-hand
stretch to achieve "Ctrl-Y" (line-delete in
Wordstar), and I have often thought of
this as fortunate.
My fellow members in the Morrow
Micro Decision Users Group have found
14 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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also supported. The Videoterm will list both Integer and Applesoft BASIC pro
grams using all 80 columns without splitting keywords. The popular ESCape
sequence editing capabilities and a stop-list function using Control-S
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recognize the Videoterm as a standard video display terminal.
Apple lie Kit
This kit contains an OPTIONAL Videoterm firmware and a rede-
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The six programs on the Videoterm Utilities Disk will complement the creativity of the 80-column screen. This disk con-
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Letters-
many ways they can use the Micro Deci-
sion as a fully equipped, low-cost solu-
tion to business needs. I only hope BYTE
will assign a more sophisticated reviewer
to Mr. Morrow's latest offspring, the 11-
megabyte/128K/$2745 MD-11 (with
bundled software, of course).
Andrew J. Boots
2619 Washington Ave.
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
In 'The Morrow Micro Decision" Tom
Wadlow states that, "The basic drive is
single-sided single-density and stores
about 200K bytes." I do not think this can
be true because my machine has single-
sided double-density disks on it. They
hold only about 200K bytes.
He implies, attheendof the same para-
graph, that programs written for the IBM
PC can be run on the Micro Decision.
This statement, the way it is worded, is
inexcusable from a reviewer. How can one
run a program written for a 16-bit ma-
chine on an 8-bit machine? While the for-
mat is readable, unless the program is
written so that the Z80 can read it, it is
unusable.
Also, he should have admonished peo-
ple to be careful with any compatible soft-
ware, i.e., Xerox 820, Osborne I. These
program formats are usable only if there
has been no configuration in the software
that addresses the hardware ports, etc. If
they are not written to be transportable,
they will not work. Most of the software
manufacturers that I have contacted are
not sure if their Xerox or Osborne formats
will run on the Micro Decision. If they
don't, you may lose the price of the soft-
ware, unless you can go inside and re-
write that part of the software.
I don't know where Mr. Wadlow got his
prices, but an ad in the same issue lists
different prices for the MMD. But the
point of his article that really made me
mad was his assessment that "The Micro
Decision would make a good second
computer for people who are familiar
with CP/M systems or for those who have
had experience with computers." Because
I do not fall into either category, I have
to interpret that Mr. Wadlow thinks the
system would not be good for me. How-
ever, I did not have any trouble with the
MMD. I found the turnkey menus to be
invaluable. Had I purchased a system that
was not supported in the way the MMD
was, I would probably have been turned
off by computers. Instead, I am enthus-
iastic about them. I have learned the
assembly language and have started
writing many programs. I would not
hesitate to recommend the MMD to
someone who had never laid hands on
a computer system before. In all fairness,
I think that Mr. Wadlow's evaluation was
somewhat biased simply because he was
not a novice user.
David M. Gambs
2612 N.E. Skidmore
Portland, OR 97211
Tom Wadlow responds:
In my opinion, the purpose of a review is
threefold: first, the equipment should be
reviewed to see if it lives up to the manufac-
turer's claims; second, the equipment should
be compared with the competition and its
merits and faults should be brought to light;
and third, a machine should be examined to
see if it is all it should be— i.e., does it have
any serious design errors?
I seem to have stepped on some toes with
my review of the Micro Decision. Non-Micro
Decision owners said they appreciated the
review because it suggested things they should
watch out for when purchasing any machine.
Micro Decision owners' opinions were mixed.
Some said the machine was a mistake and they
would not recommend it to anybody. Others
think it's the best thing since peanut butter.
I think it is a good machine with some prob-
lems that should be examined out in the open,
not hidden under the gloss of an under critical
review.
Terminals:
The BYTE article pipeline is unfortunately
long and, as you can see, this sometimes causes
problems. The system I received from Morrow
had an ADM-20 terminal, and Morrow was
not supporting the Liberty at the time. I had
never touched a Liberty (I have since) and
therefore could not make any comments about
it.
Keyboard:
Over the course of my career, I have exten-
sively used approximately 25 different key-
boards ranging from keypunches and teletypes
to my current Lisp Machine keyboard (which
has seven different kinds of shift keys, any
combination of which may be and often is used
with a single alphanumeric character). The
issue of the "best" keyboard is touchy. I will
simply settle for saying that the ADM-20 key-
board is far from the "best." The Liberty is
much better.
Compatibility:
If you read the first paragraph under Disk
Storage in my article, you will see that I did
not say that programs written for the IBM-
PC can run on the Micro Decision. I said that
conversion programs to run on the Micro
Decision that allow you to read IBM PC disks
(which implies text files only, since binary files
would be useless to the MMD) are available.
MD-11:
The MD-11 was announced just shortly
before the October issue of BYTE hit the
stands. And prices can change dramatically
over the large fraction of a year between sub-
mission of an article and its publication.
I still stand by my review.
Name Change
We appreciate David Fiedler's mention
of us in the table accompanying "The
Unix Tutorial, Part 2" (September, page
257). However, we changed our name
from Unisoft Inc. to Unicorp Software
Inc., to avoid confusion with Unisoft Sys-
tems Corp. of Berkeley. Also, there was
a typographical error in our phone num-
ber. The correct number is (212) 307-6800,
not (212) 327-6800' as published.
Mark Pearson
President
Unicorp Software Inc.
303 West 42nd St.
New York, NY 10036
Unix Update
In my recent article on Unix typesetting
("Typesetting on the Unix System," Oc-
tober, page 253), I did not want to sound
negative about either Scribe or TEX, nor
did I intend to portray any formatting
system as being better than the others.
There is at least one factual error in the ar-
ticle: TEX does not require non-ASCII
symbols, but rather provides an alter-
native to using them (various escape
sequences).
Good documentation— The TEX Book—
was scheduled for publication by Addison-
Wesley in late 1983. TEX is actually writ-
ten in WEB, a Pascal preprocessor lan-
guage that is capable of producing code
for a wide variety of machines. A new
macro package to produce tables (a TBL
equivalent) and a set of bibliographic for-
16 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
25 Mb the hard way.
25 Mb the Rana way.
Letters i
mats (using a Scribe-like database) are
now available.
There are two important ways in which
TEX surpasses troff when measured by
traditional typesetting standards. First,
TEX provides kerning, whereas troff does
not. Kerning is the moving of small let-
ters underneath large overhanging letters,
as in the digraphs To and Ve. Second,
TEX and Scribe allow for different design
sizes, while troff has width tables for only
a single design size. Traditionally, good
type designers always drew several varia-
tions of a single typeface to suit the op-
tical requirements of different print sizes.
Current trends point back to this
tradition.
Bill Tuthill
Imagen Corporation
2660 Marine Way
Mountain View, CA 94043
The Model 4's Hitches
All in all, I was quite pleased with
Rowland Archer Jr.'s review of the new
Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 4 (October,
page 292). I recently purchased a 64K-byte
two-disk-drive version myself, and I am
glad that I did. However, as with all
things electronic, there are always a few
hitches and glitches and compromises.
Some of the problems with the TRS-80
were covered in the Archer article; how-
ever, there are a few niggling gripe points
that he either failed to uncover or simply
omitted for lack of space.
For one thing, there is the matter of the
on-board speaker and the sound that can
be generated with a new statement in
TRSDOS 6.0. 1 defy anyone to find a ref-
erence to that statement and the method
for its use in either the BASIC section of
the Disk System Owner's Manual or in the
Radio Shack Model 4 Quick Reference
Guide. (Or, for that matter, in any other
piece of documentation that comes with
your new computer.) In order to be able
to make use of this feature, I had to con-
tact my dealer, who in turn had to call the
nearest Radio Shack Computer Center,
who then informed us of the following:
1) The proper statement syntax is
SOUND X,Y where X is the pitch and Y
is the duration.
2) The permissible range of values for
pitch is 0-7.
3) The permissible range of values for
duration is 1-31.
He then gave us the following program
with which to provide ourselves with a
demonstration of the Model 4's sound-
making capabilities:
10 FORX = .l TO 7 STEP .1
20 PRINT X
30 SOUND X,l
40 NEXT X
50 END
Unfortunately, I was not impressed.
This feature, with its limited ranges of
both pitch and duration, is less than
useless. Radio Shack could have omitted
it and no one would have missed a thing.
Fortunately, one is still able to generate
a regular range of TRS-80 sound through
the previous method of sending the ap-
propriate values to an output port. (After
doing some reading about the Job Con-
trol Language features of the Model 4, 1
realized that the primary reason for the
inclusion of this piddley sound capabil-
ity was for use as an alerting device when
the computer is being used for a multi-
plicity of different processing tasks in a
I business or other office environment.)
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18 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Introducing the First 2.5 Mb
Minifloppy Drive*
Isn't it just like Rana Systems to introduce a
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storage benefits of a hard disk, plus the
floppy's strength of removable media. The first
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bytes on a single diskette. Imagine, storing a
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to spare.
Rana's new drive needs only 10 floppies to
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is no limit. Like any floppy with its removable
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And that's just the beginning, because
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Rana's controller card can be used with stan-
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The new 2.5 megabyte minifloppy drive,
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for the Apple® It's Rana s latest proof that to
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Always a step ahead.
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• Game Port: The new
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• 1/0 Bracket:
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Now more than ever Quadboard
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Features/
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SixPakPlus |
Memory
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0-384K
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Parallel &
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Yes
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I/O Bracket
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Optional 1
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INTERQUADRAM In Europe
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Interquadram S.A.R.L.
41 Rue Ybry./92522 Neuilly/France
Circle 298 on inquiry card.
TM
© Copyright 1983 Quadram Corporation
All rights reserved
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines.
Letters
Perhaps Radio Shack should have taken
the money that was spent on incor-
porating that insipid attempt at a sound
statement and spent it on providing the
Model 4's keyboard with a functioning
"ON" light. After the computer has been
turned on and before TRSDOS has been
booted up, there is absolutely no way to
tell that it is on: no cursor on the screen
and no lights on the keyboard or front
panel. It's such a simple thing, yet it
seems to have completely slipped the at-
tention of the engineers at Radio Shack.
And it is important: I've had my Model
4 for only two months and I've already
inadvertently left it on overnight several
times (once with the cover on it).
And, of course, there are the seeming-
ly obligatory documentation typos and
ambiguities. When attempting to get the
communications software that is included
with TRSDOS 6.0 (a useful and sophisti-
cated program, I might add) up and run-
ning, the unsuspecting Model 4 user is
led on a wild goose chase for an appen-
dix that doesn't exist: the included refer-
ence to Appendix L should have been to
Appendix I. Once I got the Comm pro-
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1-800-558-6866
gram going and experienced difficulty in
downloading a file from my disk space
in CompuServe, I discovered that the
problem lay with the instructions for
transferring a file from a mainframe to a
TRS-80. We are first told to 'Type in the
command which causes the mainframe
to list the file, but do not press
< ENTER > ." The next instruction tells us
to "Specif y your receive file by pressing
< CLEAR >< 6 > followed by < CLEAR
>< 9 > ," after which we are to type in
the filename in response to the prompt.
The third step begins by instructing the
user to "Press < CLEAR >< 6 > followed
by < CLEAR >< : > to open the receive
area of memory." If the file to be down-
loaded is smaller than the available area
of memory, we go to the next instruction.
We are then told to "Press < ENTER > to
start the file listing." The instructions are
both clear and quite detailed, but the con-
fusion results from assuming the user,
who is being walked through the pro-
cedure verbatim, will suddenly break out
of the rote mold and provide one key step
that they have assumed to be one of com-
mon sense. When I attempted to carry
out these instructions, I began by issuing
the prescribed FILGE command to list my
file:
TYPE filename
but did not press < ENTER > . I then did
the <CLEARx6xCLEAR><9>
to specify my receive file. The Comm pro-
gram responded with the appropriate
prompt and I typed in the filename
Filename: filename
Now, anyone with an ounce of com-
puter literacy knows that, ordinarily, in
order to get the computer to "take" the
information that has just been typed on
the keyboard, the user must press
< ENTER > ; but remember, the instruc-
tions have been set up for the user to
follow precisely, step-by-step. The first in-
struction told us not to press < ENTER >
in a situation where we normally would
have, and the first half of the second in-
struction had us press keys that caused
the computer to do something without
having to press < ENTER > . So the im-
mediate assumption, at least on my part,
was that I was not to press < ENTER >
again until explicitly instructed to do so
in the fourth step of the procedure.
Therefore, without pressing < ENTER >
after typing in the name of the receiving
file, I tried to open the receive area of
22 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 352 on inquiry card.
Here's The Bpard You've
J3een Waiting For.
^ ii1 ; i ii ii ' 1 1
f ""
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Support of S 1 /*" rigid-disk
drives with transfer rates of
nd. Minor
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Controller communications
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Thus the controller does not
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Two 28-pin sockets allowing
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Letters — — — ^— ^_
memory with the < CLEAR >< 6 >
< CLEAR >< : > command and got a
couple of graphics characters printed
following the receiving filename for my
trouble.
Needless to say, I was extremely non-
plussed, so I began to experiment with
the command sequences listed in the re-
mainder of the instructions, only to be
rewarded with open files, empty files, a
half -hour of toll and connect charges, and
one massive headache. By the time I
finally deduced the nature of the prob-
lem, I was fit to be tied.
Now don't get me wrong; I love my
new Model 4 and wouldn't trade it for a
whole room full of other types of com-
puters (they each have their own set of
drawbacks anyway), but I do wish that
companies would pay a little less atten-
tion to rushing things to the market to
beat the competition and a little more at-
tention to providing comfort and conve-
nience to the people who are plunking
down a couple of thousand dollars for the
companies products.
Tom Greenwell
2017 East Walnut Ave.
Visalia, CA 93277
Hearing Loss and CRT*
Like reader Page (Letters, October, page
30), I am bothered by the high-frequency
audio output of monitors and televisions.
This has kept me from watching TV (not
such a bad thing) but also has caused me
trouble when using my computer.
My solution was to build a plywood
box with a glass front for the monitor. The
glass is clamped down on foam-tape
weather stripping and all the joints of the
box (and the cord hole) are sealed with
silicone RTV. As the glass is tightened
down on the foam tape and the final leaks
are closed, the squeal goes away. Of
course, the monitor runs hotter than
before, and I turn it off during breaks. The
monitor has worked fine for two years in
the box.
I suggest that the box be sized
generously to allow internal air flow and
that its exterior not be covered with
papers, etc. To control high-frequency
sound it is necessary to get it as airtight
as possible.
I note that all the current research into
health problems from VDTs (video-dis-
play terminals) has ignored this problem
and suggest it as a good topic for re-
4 Circle 322 on inquiry card.
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CP/M is a Trademark of Digital Research. Inc.
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MsDOS is a Trademark of Microsoft. Inc.
Circle 287 on inquiry card.
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CLEO
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Letters — .^^_—
search. Perhaps the reason it has been ig-
nored is that our society of TV watchers
has acquired a notch in its hearing at the
critical frequency. An interesting question
is where in the hearing system the notch
occurs.
Another question that seems to get little
attention in the current VDT studies is the
effect of screen flicker with short-
persistence phosphor screens and/or poor
drive circuitry that doesn't keep the
characters still on the screen.
Doug Milliken
245 Brompton Rd.
Williamsville, NY 14221
Regarding the letter from Reverend
John Page— this high-frequency noise is
a ubiquitous phenomenon caused, I
believe, by the fact that the monitors are
designed by deaf engineers. Most men
have lost their hearing at 15.7 kHz by their
early twenties and thus build and design
the monitors with cheap flyback trans-
formers that vibrate at the flyback fre-
quency. The medical problem is thus with
the engineers and not with those who can
hear those frequencies. Measurements
near the cooling holes of many monitors
give readings as high as 90 dB (decibels).
I have also been trying to find a monitor
without this defect. I am going to try
wrapping the flyback transformer com-
pletely, which will require rewiring it to
the board so the wrapping can go under
it as well. However, a better course would
be to put pressure on the manufacturers
to build better equipment.
William G. Unruh
Department of Physics
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, B.C.
Canada VGT 2A6
I believe that John Page has identified
a problem with CRTs (cathode-ray tubes)
that may be of much more immediate
concern than the recent controversy about
CRT radiation hazards. I, too, have ex-
perienced ringing in the ears and head-
aches after extended sessions at the key-
board, two feet away from a monitor that,
as most do, puts out a 15-kHz squeal from
its horizontal oscillator. An informal poll
of several friends reveals that about half
of them have experienced the same
symptoms or worse, but these were at-
tributed to fatigue. It would appear that
the difficulties mentioned by Mr. Page are
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 282 on inquiry card.
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International Distributor Inquiries Invited.
BYTE January 1984 29
Letters
not limited to individuals with special
inner-ear problems but are instead suf-
fered by many of us to a greater or lesser
degree.
This same phenomenon is discussed in
greater detail in a letter to Softalk (October
Open Discussion, page 43) from J. Barry
Smith of Massachusetts, a professional
audiologist who was able to measure
15-kHz sound-pressure levels as high as
44 dB at the operator's ear. I think this
problem may be widespread, especially
among the female population of com-
puter operators, who typically have more
acute hearing than men.
I have no direct answer for John Page
in his search for a silent terminal. I think
he has identified a problem that we all
may share, and I hope if an answer exists
that it will be given widespread pub-
lication.
Gary Keene
5 Tangerine
Irvine, CA 92714
Model 100 Flaws
In Mahlon Kelly's informative (and just-
ly enthusiastic) article about the Radio
Shack Model 100 ("The Radio Shack
TRS-80 Model 100," September, page 139),
a problem is presented and left unsolved:
because the editor will not let you back
into BASIC with an ill-formed text, Mr.
Kelly points out on page 156, "It's pos-
sible to make the edited program so
screwed up that you can't find the error
and you can't even get out by hitting the
Reset button." Because turning the power
off and on will simply bring you back to
the same point, the problem can be an-
noying indeed.
The solution is this: use function keys
¥7 and F6 to cut the whole program, put-
ting it into the paste buffer. Then press
F8 to get into BASIC with what is now a
null program. Then you can simply paste
the whole thing in, and BASIC will not
only accept it but obligingly flag all your
syntax errors.
There is another problem that Kelly
doesn't mention. If you want to upload
a file through TELCOM but press the
download function key by mistake, as
soon as you name the file that you expect
to be transferred, that file will be wiped
out to make room for what the Model 100
expects to receive. There is no fix, but my
solution (because I can never remember
which is up and which is down) is to
write "Hither" and "Thither" in ink under
the relevant function keys.
Ronald de Sousa
Department of Philosophy
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5S 1A1
Support for Modula-2
I was very interested to read in your
August issue about new releases of
Modula-2 ("The Debate Goes On. . ." by
Jerry Pournelle, August, page 312). I have
been using Modula-2, with increasing en-
thusiasm, for several years now, using
Professor Wirth'sE.T.H. compiler, and feel
that Modula-2 will most likely become the
successor to Pascal, because of its elegant
and straightforward solution of so many
of Pascal's problems. However, this will
really depend on a number of commer-
cial implementations of Modula-2 becom-
ing available, with the backup and sup-
port that this implies, rather than with the
responsibility resting on the user to sort
out any problems that arise. In many
respects the situation is like Unix three
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At 40 CPS NLQ speed, the Data-
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with the precise clarity required for
word processing applications.
And for graphics, the Datasouth
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And those are just its printing
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Best of all, the Datasouth DS220
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BYTE January 1984 31
Letters -
years ago, and sufficient commercial sup-
port could so easily make Modula-2 the
standard language for many real-time
microcomputer applications, in the same
way that it has established Unix.
H. W. Thomas
Electrical Engineering Laboratories
The University
Manchester
England MB 9PL
The Future of Programming
Languages
As a professional programmer and
longtime user of the C programming lan-
guage, I am very happy to see the in-
creased interest in this area. Also, as the
teacher of a beginning C programming
course organized through AnaHUG, a
local computer club, I was grateful for
James Joyce's excellent introduction to the
language ("A C Language Primer/'
August, page 64, and September, page
289). However, I would like to correct one
statement in Part 1 of the series that could
confuse the novice C programmer. While
discussing the printff ) function, Mr. Joyce
states, "All arguments of a function must
be on the same line in C." He then adds,
". . .the entire string in printf must be on
the same line." This is a contradiction to
The C Programming Language by Kernighan
and Ritchie, which states (on page 179)
that in C source code, "Blanks, tabs, new-
lines, and comments (collectively, white
space). . .are ignored except as they serve
to separate tokens" In addition, that text
states (on page 181) that, "[In a string] a \
and an immediately following newline
are ignored." It has been my experience
that Unix C compilers follow The C Pro-
gramming Language in this respect. For ex-
ample, using Unix C compilers I have
used printf function calls of the form
printf
("This is an example of a format
string \ split across a line. Numbers
follow: %d %d %d",
5*75,
99-83);
Note that in this example the format
string is split across a line (the second line
must be left-justified or the extra spaces
will appear in the printed output), and
the additional arguments are on separate
lines (which might allow comments fol-
lowing each).
John F. Belsher
Custom Programming
1283 San Paulo
Placentia, CA 92670 ■
BYTEs Bugs
Insert GOTO
William N. Carter of San Francisco
raised the point that the program by Ed
Juge in Mahlon Kelly's "The Radio Shack
TRS-80 Model 100" (September, page 139)
needs a correction. Line 140 calls for
GOSUB 360; that subroutine lacks a
RETURN. The program will work just
fine if you change it to a GOTO 360, move
the PR$ = L$ to the second statement in
line 60, and delete line 160. ■
Mi
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^v
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32 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
l\
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i
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Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar
Build the Circuit Cellar
Term-Mite ST Smart Terminal
Part 1: Hardware
National Semiconductor's NS455A Terminal-Management Processor
permits an easy, economical terminal design
Did the the personal computer rev-
olution begin in 1975 with the MITS
Altair 8800 microcomputer? Most
people think so, but I believe that the
first personal computer product ap-
peared two years earlier under the
unassuming name of TV Typewriter.
This construction project, described
by Don Lancaster in Radio Electronics
magazine (see reference 6) was a
simple video-display terminal, a basic
building block for those of us who
were dreaming about building a com-
puter. The circuit logic was a wiring
nightmare of controlled race condi-
tions, but it worked. Of course, its
uppercase-only 16-line by 64-column
display and total ignorance of control
codes (it didn't even scroll) seem
primitive today.
A few months after Don's article
was published, the Mark 8 computer
project appeared in Radio Electronics
(see reference 10). The Mark 8, based
on the Intel 8008 microprocessor, was
the first real microcomputer (though
the word had not yet been coined)
and was the trigger that launched me
and many others into the microcom-
puter hobby. Many of us who had
built Don's terminal might not have
been otherwise able to comprehend
and use the Mark 8 as quickly as we
did. (I built something different from
the Mark 8, but the first article I ever
wrote was for the Mark 8 construc-
tor's newsletter. Coincidentally, my
first BYTE article described how to
Copyright © 1984 Steven A. Garcia.
All rights reserved.
by Steve Ciarcia
build a vector-graphics display for an
8008-based system— see reference 2.)
Advancing Display Technology
Wiring up the TV Typewriter was
a monumental job, but the basic cir-
cuit was really not unlike a commer-
cial video-display terminal of the
same period. If you ever opened the
case of a video terminal from the
early 1970s, you were probably
amazed at the complexity. There
were usually several large printed-
circuit boards (each containing 70 to
100 integrated circuits), a large power
supply, the keyboard, wires and
diodes, and of course the cathode-ray
tube (CRT) replete with high-voltage
wires and "Danger— Do Not Touch"
signs.
These early terminals were basical-
ly "glass Teletypes," performing only
simple functions and displaying only
uppercase characters. The lack of so-
phistication matched the level of
integrated-circuit (IC) technology
available at the time.
Many discrete logic circuits were
needed to detect even the simplest
functions such as linefeed and
cursor-home. Each command was
treated independently by the hard-
ware: it was necessary to have sepa-
rate circuitry to detect each control
character and cause the appropriate
function to occur. For instance, for the
terminal to respond correctly to the
ASCII (American National Standard
Code for Information Interchange)
Return character, the terminal-control
logic had to be able to detect when
a hexadecimal 0D value was received
from the host computer or typed on
the keyboard, to change the current
cursor position to the' beginning of
the line, and possibly to scroll the
screen up one line (if automatic line-
feed is on) and blank the new line.
Connecting sets of NAND and NOR
gates to accomplish this is a con-
siderable task.
For a long time, advances in IC
technology were met by demands for
increased performance in terminals.
The first real simplifying break-
through came with the microproces-
sor. Using the power of this new de-
velopment, designers could imple-
ment features that had been pro-
hibitively expensive and could free-
ly add new functions to terminals.
Off-line editing with character inser-
tion and deletion, function keys with
multiple-character transmission, and
multiple-page display memories
were just a few of the features that
found their way into the terminal
marketplace. And as microprocessors
became more advanced, terminals in-
corporating the latest silicon in-
telligence could no longer be called
"dumb." The watchword in the ter-
minal trade became smart.
Somewhat surprisingly, the first
microprocessor-based intelligent ter-
minals were no less complicated in-
side than the dumb variety. Com-
puter circuitry had replaced much of
the discrete logic, but the expanded
functions had also necessitated in-
creased complexity in the low-level
display-driver circuitry. An integrated
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 37
Photo 1: The prototype board of the Term-Mite ST intelligent video-display terminal.
solution to discrete video circuitry
was needed.
The second technological achieve-
ment resulting in lower circuit com-
plexity was the development of in-
tegrated CRT-controller (or video-
controller) chips, such as the Na-
tional Semiconductor DP8350 and
the Intel 8275. Usually used in com-
bination with a microprocessor, pro-
grammable CRT controllers incor-
porate many of the discrete counters,
registers, and character-attribute cir-
cuits needed in a modern terminal.
(See references 5 and 9.)
The new controller chips made it
easy to do tricks with character at-
tributes: blinking, blanked, or under-
lined characters; half-intensity or
reverse video; and expansion to dou-
ble height, double width, or both.
Also, a terminal manufacturer could
now easily make a whole family of
terminals just by changing the con-
trol firmware. Either a simple "glass
Teletype" model or a sophisticated
editing terminal with write-protected
fields and multiple display pages
could be built with only minor hard-
ware differences simply by changing
the programs controlling the micro-
processors. Figure 1 on pages 40 and
41 should give you an idea of how the
combination of the microprocessor
and the video-controller chip served
to make hardware design much
simpler while again increasing the
terminals' sophistication.
For a long time now I've wanted to
present a smart-terminal project from
the Circuit Cellar, but even with the
reduced circuit complexity afforded
by a CRT controller I've never been
THIS IS THE HEU
CIARCIA'S CIRCUIT CELLAR
TERK-HITE ST Start Terminal
t 24 lint* by 88 characters - upper and lo«er case
t Support! either scanned or parallel encoded keyboards
t Selectable baud rite, parity, cursor, and display options
* Attributes: rtvtnt video, half intensity, double height,
double width, underline, blink and'or blank character
* tin* graphics
* 21 escape functions
t 14 control functions
I 25th line rrws* video status display
* Self test
* Light pen support
* Separated sync or coiposite video output
Photo 2: Unretouched photo of the Term-Mite's screen.
38 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Photo 3: Video terminals designed only a few years ago had to use over 100 discrete-logic circuits to obtain even rudimentary control functions.
able to devise a reasonable design
containing fewer than about 30 IC
packages. (Yes, the MPX-16 computer
I began in November 1982 does con-
tain 121 chips, but my battle scars
from that project still pain me at
times.) While I was still deliberating,
developments in technology caught
up with me.
Semiconductor makers had pro-
vided both crucial elements: the
microprocessor and the CRT con-
troller. The next logical step was to in-
corporate their functions into a single
IC package. National Semiconductor
Corporation has done just that, and
more, with the NS455A Terminal-
Management Processor (TMP). Incor-
porating most of the processor, video,
and communication functions in a
single 48-pin dual-inline package, the
NS455A allows the design engineer
to reduce a terminal's chip count
while maintaining a high level of per-
formance. Just six chips can perform
the basic operations.
In two articles, this month and
next, we'll look at the NS455A's char-
acteristics and see how to build an in-
telligent video terminal, called the
Term-Mite ST, which is equal to many
on the market costing $1000 or more.
Its 21-chip design provides the most-
needed features, as shown in table 1,
such as 24 lines of 80 characters each,
uppercase and lowercase; a full set of
character attributes; and line (block)
graphics. A block diagram of the
Term-Mite ST terminal appears in
figure 2.
Inside the NS455A TMP
Integrated into the NS455A TMP
are all the system-control functions
except the video RAM (the random-
access read/write memory used to
store the display data) and I/O (input/
output) buffers. The TMP replaces
the separate microprocessor, pro-
gram ROM (read-only memory), CRT
controller, DMA (direct memory ac-
cess) logic, character generator, UART
(universal asynchronous receiver/
transmitter), and data-rate generator
typically used in other terminal de-
signs. In place of these, the TMP pro-
vides a control processor, display-
timing control circuitry, and direct in-
terface logic for the keyboard, moni-
tor, memory, and serial communica-
tion.
A complete listing of the NS455A's
capabilities is shown in table 2, while
figure 3 on page 43 shows a pinout
diagram (3a) and a block diagram
(3b). The architecture and instruction
set for the TMP are derived, with
some differences, from that of the
Intel 8048-series of microprocessors.
Extra instructions have been added
and the architecture tailored to allow
the NS455A to serve more efficiently
as a terminal controller. Within the
TMP are three distinct functional sec-
tions: processor, I/O, and display
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 39
(la)
DISCRETE LOGIC
UART
CONFIG
I
SWITCHES
BASIC
CONTROL
LOGIC
AUX
PORT
DATA BUS
ERASE
LOGIC
CONTROL
BUS
KEYBOARD
DECODE
LOGIC
TRANSMISSION
LOGIC
ONLINE- LOCAL
•- BUFFER
CURSOR
MOVEMENT
LOGIC
CURSOR
CHARACTERISTICS
ADDRESS BUS
KEYBOARD
BUFFER
80 BIT
LINE
BUFFER
BUFFER
DOT
CLOCK
^
CONTROL
BUS
LOGIC
♦ * r
LATCH
CHAR
GENERATOR
DOT
SHIFTER
TIMING
CONTROL
LOGIC
TIMING
DECODE
LINE AND
SCREEN
FORMATS
ATTRIBUTE
CIRCUITRY
COMBINE
VIDEO
-*> HORIZONTAL SYNC
-*- VERTICAL SYNC
(lb)
MICROPROCESSOR AND CRT CONTROLLER
HORIZONTAL SYNC
VERTICAL SYNC
driver. Let's look at each of these in
turn.
Processor and Memory
Since the processor in the TMP is
a modified implementation of the
Intel 8048 architecture, I'll review the
8048 to make comparison easier.
The basic 8048 was designed as a
self-contained microprocessor; it in-
cludes ROM for its factory-set perma-
nent program as well as temporary
storage in the form of scratch-pad
RAM. It operates on 8-bit data but
has an 11-bit program-counter (PC)
register, so that it can address up to
2K bytes of program. The standard
8048 has an eight-entry fixed-size
40 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
(10
INTEGRATED MICROPROCESSOR AND VIDEO CONTROLLER
UART
I
CONFIG
SWITCHES
I
KEYBOARD
AUX
PORT
NS455A TMP
KEYBOARD
DECODE +
BUFFER
HOI— 1
~~\
-VIDEO
-HORIZONTAL SYNC
-^VERTICAL SYNC
Figure 1: Three generations of video-display terminals become increasingly less complex as semiconductor technology advances.
KEYBOARD
CONFIGURATION
SWITCHES
ATTRIBUTE
MEMORY
CHARACTER
MEMORY
SCANNING
LOGIC
ADDRESS
DECODER
AND
LATCH
12MHz
J±l
NS455A
I 1 t
+5V +12V -12V
Figure 2: A block diagram of the Term-Mite ST terminal circuit board.
LEVEL
SHIFTERS
ill
ADDER
PROGRAM
MEMORY
ADDRESS
LATCH
BELL
SERIAL
SERIAL
* HORIZONTAL SYNC
*> VERTICAL SYNC
-*» VIDEO
COMPOSITE
VIDEO
stack used to store return addresses
during subroutine calls and interrupt
handling; the stack pointer consists
of 3 reserved bits in the processor
status word (PSW) . A set of general
registers in the RAM, RO through R7,
can be used for fast-access storage. In
addition, an alternate register bank,
also located in the on-chip RAM area,
can be selected and used just like the
primary set. Finally, the standard
8048 has three parallel I/O ports,
which can be used to communicate
with external peripherals or to ad-
dress additional memory. (I used the
8748, a cousin of the 8048, in my re-
cent H-Com project; see reference 3.)
When National Semiconductor en-
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 41
1. 24 lines by 80 characters, uppercase and lowercase
2. supports either scanned or parallel-encoded keyboards
3. selectable data-rate, parity, cursor, and display options
4. attributes: reverse video, half intensity, double height, double width, underlined,
blinking, and/or blank character
5. 21 Escape functions
6. 14 Control functions
7. line (block) graphics
8. twenty-fifth-line reverse-video status display
9. self-test
1 0. separate-sync or composite-video output
Table 1: Features of the Term-Mite ST terminal
1. enhanced 8048 instruction set and architecture
2. on-board ROM, 2K by 8-bit; up to 8K by 8-bit external
3. on-board RAM, 64 by 8-bit
4. programmable display format
5. 16-bit display-memory bus (direct-video and attribute-RAM interface)
6. built-in timer
7. real-time clock (may be programmed for 1 Hz)
8. video-control signals
9. eight independent character attributes
10. pixel graphics
1 1 . programmable cursor
1 2. CRT refresh at 50 or 60 Hz
13. light-pen support
14. on-board UART, programmable data rate up to 19,200 bps
15. character generator (128 characters in 7- by 11 -dot character area)
1 6. single + 5-V (volt) supply
17. interface compatibility with popular 8- and 16-bit microprocessors
18. up to 18-MHz clock frequency
19. 48-pin package
20. 8-bit parallel port (multiplexed with external ROM)
Table 2: Features of the National Semiconductor NS455A Terminal-Management Processor.
This integrated circuit normally comes with a terminal-control program mask-programmed
into the 2K bytes of on-board ROM.
hanced the architecture for use in the
Terminal-Management Processor, in-
structions that manipulate 16-bit data
were added, so that the TMP could
manage up to 64K bytes of display
memory. To support these instruc-
tions, an 8-bit high-order extension,
called the high accumulator, was
added to the existing 8-bit ac-
cumulator. In addition, 8-bit high-
order extensions were added to the
R0 and Rl registers to allow them to
point to the full 64K bytes of display
RAM. The original roster of three I/O
ports was trimmed to a single bidirec-
tional port, and 2 more bits were
added to the program counter to ac-
commodate up to 8K bytes of pro-
gram storage.
All the other changes from the 8048
processor were directly associated
with the additional tasks of video-
display driving and I/O required to
do the job. Display-management reg-
isters were added to help with the
screen-refresh chores. A cursor reg-
ister serves to load characters into the
display RAM as well as to mark the
current cursor position. A whole set
of video-timing-chain registers is
used to set the display configuration
for the screen: how many characters
per line, how many lines per frame,
horizontal and vertical synchroniza-
tion timing, etc.
While the characters to be dis-
played are stored in RAM, the pro-
gram that drives the NS455A's pro-
cessor resides in ROM. The NS455A
may operate with either internal or
external ROM; external ROM may
function all by itself (disregarding the
internal ROM), or it may supplement
the internal program. Although ad-
dress space is provided for up to 8K
bytes of program, the standard on-
chip ROM size is only 2K bytes. The
off-the-shelf NS455A TMP comes
with a standard program, masked in-
to the 2K-byte ROM, which is in-
tended to illustrate the capabilities of
the chip and serve as a tutorial ex-
ample of terminal programming.
I/O-Port Section
The single I/O port is an 8-bit
bidirectional parallel type, with data
transferred on pins RE0 through RE7.
It is written into and read from using
the processor instructions OUT
PORT and IN PORT. In the Term-
Mite ST, the encoded keyboard is
read and the RS-232C handshaking-
protocol signals (Data Terminal
Ready, Clear to Send, and Ready to
Send) are transmitted through this
port. The keyboard uses only 7 bits,
so a signal to sound the terminal's
"bell" beeper is sent out on the extra
bit.
The serial input and output func-
tions are handled by the on-chip
UART through the serial-in line and
serial-out line. The UART also con-
tains the data-rate generator, which
can be set up by software for virtual-
ly any data rate. The standard pro-
gram, however, contains only the set
of 12 most-used rates from 110 to
19,200 bps (bits per second). The
serial I/O lines need only to be buf-
fered by level-shifting devices (the
MC1488 and MC1489) to give you a
complete RS-232C data path to a host
computer or other data-communicat-
ing device.
Display-Driver Section
The third section is the video-dis-
play driver and control section. It is
made up of the character generator,
the CRT-refresh logic, the character-
attribute logic, and many now-
integrated, formerly discrete func-
tions. Because the NS455A provides
all these capabilities by itself, the only
additional ICs needed are display
42 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
(3a)
TMP LOGIC SYMBOL
BIDIRECTIONAL
(DISPLAY {
MEMORY BUS)
SBO -
SB1 -
SB2 •
SB3 •
SB4 ■
SB5 ■
SB6 •
. SB7 •
"SB8 ■
SB9 ■
SBIO ■
BIDIRECTIONAL
OR ADDRESS SB11
OUTPUT ONLY
{DISPLAY \ SB12
MEMORY BUS)
SB13
SB14
^SB15
Fl CLK*
RAM ALE
RAM WR *
RAM RD*
ALE
XTAL 2
XTAL1
V SS
♦active low
1 48— V CC
2 47 — RE7/I-07
3 46 — RE6/I-06
4 45 — RE5/I-05
5 44 — RE4/I -04
6 43 — RE3/I-03
7 42 — RE2/I-02
8 41 — RE1/I-01
9 40 — REO/l-OOj
10 39 — RE8/H0LD
11 38 — RE9/LP*
12 37 — RE10/INTR*
13 36 — RE11/SC CLR*
14 35 — RE12/HLDA
15 34 — SI
16 33 — SO
17 32 — RESET*
18 31 — RD*
19 30 — PSEN*
20 29 — EA
21 28 HS
22 27 — VS *
23 26 — VO*
24 25 INTENS*/FO CLK*
ROM EXPAND
ADDRESS OUTPUT
AND
GENERAL PURPOSE
I/O
(3b)
SERIAL IN
SERIAL OUT
TMP BLOCK DIAGRAM
8-BIT
PORT DATA
UART AND
DATA RATE
GENERATOR
2K X 8
ROM
32X8
RAM
V
it
v
PROCESSOR
8-BIT
PARALLEL
PORT
REFRESH
LOGIC
HORIZONTAL
'SYNC
.VERTICAL
SYNC
ATTRIBUTE
LOGIC
HI ACCUM
ACCUM
DISPLAY
MEMORY
CONTROL
FIFO
CHARACTER
GENERATOR
16-BIT BUS
(BIDIRECTIONAL)
GRAPHICS
VIDEO
OUTPUT
-VIDEO
Figure 3: A pinout diagram (3a) and a block diagram (3b) of the National Semiconductor NS455A TMP.
memory, an RS-232C buffer and a
driver, and a bus-interface latch or
two. In fact, an absolutely minimal
video terminal could be constructed
from 6 chips, and a relatively high-
performance unit could be built from
only 15.
You may not be as familiar with the
complex workings of the CRT driver
and control section as with the other
two preceding sections. Indeed,
because the screen image must be
refreshed 60 times every second, the
video circuitry stays very busy. The
best way to see what happens is to
follow a character from display mem-
ory until it appears on the screen.
First, the character is read by the
display-access logic from the display
RAM into the FIFO buffer (a small
first-in, first-out storage area). The
FIFO buffer contains only four en-
tries, but it is needed so that the pro-
cessor and display-refresh logic,
which both require continual access
to the RAM, will not contend with
each other for that access.
(The refresh logic has to push char-
acters through the analog video sec-
tion at a constant rate; if the refresh-
ing is delayed, the display will flicker
where characters or parts of the
image are being missed. In older de-
signs using CRT-controller chips, the
usual technique was to allow the pro-
cessor to run only during the hori-
zontal and vertical retrace times of
the electron beam— barely 40 percent
of the time. Such approaches, once
considered necessary, can severely
limit throughput; you can recognize
the terminals that employ this
scheme as the ones whose displays
flicker when they are updated.)
A FIFO buffer solves the problem.
The refresh logic can fill the buffer
faster than the video logic can empty
it, so when the buffer is sufficiently
full, the processor is allowed to grab
and use a display-memory cycle. The
processor has to be held off only in-
termittently and then not for very
long.
As the character code leaves the
FIFO buffer, the proper pattern of
display dots (picture elements, or
pixels) in a bit-mapped dot matrix is
selected by the character generator
according to the character's shape.
What dot value leaves the generator
at a given instant depends not only
on what the character is but also the
current scan line (vertical position) of
the video raster. In the case of the
Term-Mite ST, the character informa-
tion is retrieved from the character
generator's ROM, where the dot pat-
terns are stored, using the ASCII
code value as a high-order address;
the scan-line position is used to set
up the low-order address bits. The
dots for all the characters in a scan
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 43
Strobe A15 A14
Number
A13
A12
1
2 1
3 1
4 1
5 1
6 1 1
7 1 1
8 1 1
1
1
1
1
1
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
1
page memory
page 1 memory
page 2 memory
page 3 memory
terminal-characteristics switch
miscellaneous-status switch
UART-configuration switch
scanned keyboard-input port
auxiliary/printer-output port
Table 3: Memory-mapped I/O addressing as used in the Term-Mite ST The final hard-
ware of the project does not support the printer port.
Bit
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Attribute
reverse video
half intensity
blinking
double height
double width
underlined
blanked
graphics
Table 4: Character attributes supported by
the NS455A in the Term-Mite ST
line are assembled into a parallel field
containing dark and bright dots.
These dots are then serialized and
shifted out to the screen, one at a
time.
Information on other character at-
tributes may be sent along with the
basic black- or white-dot data. Spe-
cialized logic was incorporated in the
455A to modify the dot output ac-
cording to the display attributes
selected, but, generally speaking, the
logical process for accomplishing this
has not changed from that previous-
ly implemented by many external
logic gates.
Eight special character attributes
are provided by the 455 A: blinking,
double height, double width, graph-
ics, half intensity, reverse video,
underlined, and blanked character. A
terminal built around the 455A can
specify the attributes in two ways: in-
ternally or externally.
Internal attributes make use of two
attribute latches (ALO and AL1) inside
the TMP chip. These latches can be
read by external circuitry. Their states
are determined by the most signifi-
cant bit (MSB) in the character-code
byte (the character set is therefore
limited to the 128 standard ASCII
7-bit characters). If the MSB is a 0,
ALO is activated; if the MSB is a 1,
AL1 is activated. The latch status and
the incoming character dot values
completely specify the final ap-
pearance of the displayed character.
When the TMP is configured for ex-
ternal attributes, a 16-bit-wide display
memory is used. The lower 8 bits
specify the character, and the upper
8 bits are used to handle the attribute
data. Although this arrangement
doubles the memory needed in the
video RAM section, it gives you the
freedom to use any possible com-
bination of attributes for any char-
acter.
The remaining video logic involves
the horizontal sync (synchronization)
pulse and the vertical sync pulse. The
horizontal sync pulse is generated by
the video circuitry in the TMP, but its
timing is under program control. It
is the terminal designer's responsi-
bility to decide the crystal frequency
A terminal built around
the 455A can specify
attributes in two ways:
internally or externally.
used to drive the TMP, the number
of characters per line, the size of the
character cell, and the tolerances of
the CRT's driver circuits. In most
cases, all of these variables must yield
something close to 15,750 Hz (hertz)
for the frequency of the horizontal
sync signal; the frequency must allow
the display of 80 characters per line
plus enough time to permit the elec-
tron beam to retrace to the beginning
of the next scan line. The vertical sync
pulse will occur at either 50 or 60 Hz
depending on where in the world the
terminal is to be used (in North
America 60 Hz would be used). The
necessary programming has already
been done in the standard NS455A
and in my Term-Mite ST project.
Memory-Mapped I/O
Because there is only one parallel
port and one serial port, I/O by con-
ventional methods is limited in the
TMP. But, fortunately, by mapping
I/O registers into memory addresses,
you can greatly expand the TMP's I/O
capabilities. (See reference 4.) For ex-
ample, a printer port could be placed
at address hexadecimal F000. The
processor would just act like it is put-
ting data into a memory location at
that address, but the data would ac-
tually be sent to the printer.
Technically, there are 16 bits of
memory-address space, which could
in theory define 64K (65,536) I/O loca-
tions. However, it's only necessary to
put in circuits to decode only the 4
high-order bits to designate nine
specific memory-address allocations.
These are listed in table 3. As with all
construction projects, I had to ob-
serve practical limits when I froze the
design. Even though the NS455A can
support the printer port, the Term-
Mite ST as presented in this article
does not incorporate it, and only
eight of the nine I/O addresses are
available.
Term-Mite ST Design Details
The Term-Mite ST is an intelligent
video-display terminal built from 21
integrated circuits (or 18 if you use a
parallel-encoded keyboard). Shown
in the schematic diagram of figure 4
on page 46, the circuit is intended to
operate with the same ordinary 2K-
byte terminal-control program mask-
programmed into the generic
NS455A but contained instead in a
2K-byte type-2716 EPROM (erasable
44 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Number
Type
+5 V
GND
+12 V
-12 V
Number
Type
+5 V
GND
+12 V -12 V
IC1
6116
24
12
IC12
74LS373
20
10
IC2
6116
24
12
IC13
74LS373
20
10
IC3
74LS373
20
10
IC14
2716
24
12
IC4
74LS373
20
10
IC15
74LS374
20
10
IC5
74LS138
16
8
IC16
74LS154
24
12
IC6
74LS240
20
10
IC17
74LS123
16
8
1C7
74LS240
20
10
IC18
74LS244
20
10
IC8
74LS240
20
10
IC19
MC1488
7
14 1
IC9
74LS240
20
10
IC20
MC1489
14
7
IC10
74LS240
20
10
IC21
74LS86
14
7
IC11
NS455
48
24
Table 5: Power connections
for integrated circuits
in figure
4 (page 46).
Another EPROM could be
substituted for the 2716
in some applications.
programmable ROM). The Term-Mite
ST could potentially handle up to 8K
bytes of external program memory (a
type-2764 EPROM), which would
allow the control program to be en-
hanced—perhaps to include more
features or to emulate the display
protocols of popular commercially
sold terminals.
The display format is 24 lines of 80
characters, with a 25th reverse-video
status line. The particular TMP ver-
sion I have chosen uses a 12-MHz
crystal and displays characters in a 5-
by 7-dot matrix in a 7- by 10-dot char-
acter area. The masked program
automatically configures the correct
horizontal and vertical frequencies.
In figure 4, IC1 through IC5 con-
stitute the video-display memory sec-
tion. Two type-6116 static RAM chips
(IC1, IC2) form a 2K-word display
memory of 16-bit words. The low-
byte chip (IC2) contains the ASCII
character codes, while the high-byte
chip (IC1) holds the screen attributes.
The attributes supported are listed in
table 4, with their relation to bits in
IC1 shown.
IC3 and IC4 are the type-74LS373
address latches for the display mem-
ory. When any access to external dis-
play memory occurs, the address of
the location is set on lines SB0
through SB15 and loaded into these
two latches on the occurrence of the
address-latch-enable strobe (RAM
ALE) signal. Address bits A12
through A15 are decoded through a
74LS138 (IC5) to provide eight enable
lines for the memory-mapped I/O as
described previously. Depending
upon whether the instruction is a
memory-read or memory-write oper-
ation, either the active-low RAM RD
or RAM WR line will be logic
(active).
Not all the decoded address-strobe
signals are used in the Term-Mite ST,
and only eight of the nine possible
are implemented. To cut down on the
number of chips, I decided to limit
the display memory to a single 4K-
byte page and not include a printer-
output port. The software as sup-
plied still supports four pages and
the printer, so you may expand on
As with all
construction projects
I had to observe
practical limits when
I froze the design.
the basic design if you feel resource-
ful and feel like wiring a few more
chips.
The remaining memory-mapped
I/O devices are three configuration
switches (buffered through IC6, 7,
and 8— three 74LS240 chips) and 12
bits of scanned keyboard data (buf-
fered through IC9 and 10). Each
device is addressed and its data gated
onto the bus during the RAM RD
pulse. Next month I'll describe these
switches and the scanning logic in
greater detail.
On the right-hand side of the TMP
(IC11) is the program-memory
(EPROM) and user-I/O circuitry. In a
process similar to that described for
the display memory, an address is
loaded into the latches IC12 and IC13
during the active state of the ROM
AL E; the EP ROM data is read during
the PSEN pulse. Type-2716, -2732,
or -2764 EPROMs may be used (with
proper jumper selection).
A parallel keyboard, instead of a
scanned keyboard, may be connected
to the Term-Mite ST through the
type-74LS244 buffer IC18. Of the 8-bit
input port, 7 bits are used to transfer
ASCII data, while the eighth bit is
borrowed for RS-232C handshaking.
The keyboard strobe (active-low) con-
nects directly to the RE10 TMP line
and generates an interrupt when
active.
Serial communication is handled
directly by the TMP through an on-
board UART. The data rate and pro-
tocol are set via configuration
switches, and full handshaking is
supported. The MC1488 buffer and
MC1489 driver are connected direct-
ly to the TMP.
The TMP also has a direct output
line for a bell signal trigger. The pulse
is generated whenever a Control-G
code is output or whenever the cur-
sor reaches column 72 on the display
screen. The trigger pulse is only a few
microseconds long, so that a mono-
stable multivibrator, or one-shot
(IC17), is needed to stretch the pulse
and drive a self-contained piezoelec-
tric transducer.
Video output from the TMP is in
the form of separate horizontal sync,
vertical sync, and luminance signals.
IC21, in combination with some
discrete components, merges these to
generate a composite-video signal.
Because of the wide bandwidth re-
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 45
SW4
SW5
SW6
+5V
Kvcvrvcr^rrr^vvv^^
THRU 12
Figure 4: Schematic diagram of the Term-Mite ST. The NS455A's usual stock terminal-control program is here contained in a 2K-byte type-2716
EPROM (erasable programmable ROM).
46 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
6ND VO HS
+ 5V
-A-A-A-A-
COMPOSITE
IDEO
OUT
{T^> RTS
{2CT> DTR
SSd lA' c Ji 8 i- \£*t>
GND
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 47
quired for the 80-column display, you
would probably have limited success
using an RF (radio-frequency) modu-
lator and TV set. I recommend that
you use a high-quality CRT monitor
for best results.
Although the current 2K-byte
control-software release does not
support it, the hardware provides a
light-pen input in the form of an in-
terrupt to the TMR With proper pro-
gramming, you could get the TMP to
remember where the electron beam
was scanning when the interrupt
happened and subsequently return a
value giving the location to the pro-
gram. And with the proper software
running in the host computer, all
sorts of menu-driven tasks could be
handled in this way.
Next Month:
In part 2 we'll examine the TMP soft-
ware more closely and explain exactly
what all the Escape and control sequences
do.
Steve Ciarcia (pronounced "see-ARE-see-ah") is
an electronics engineer and computer consultant
with experience in process control, digital design,
nuclear instrumentation, product development, and
marketing. In addition to writing for BYTE, he has
published several books. He can be contacted at POB
582, Glastonbury, CT 06033.
Special thanks to Bob Harbrecht of National
Semiconductor Corporation for his help with this
project.
Editor's Note: Steve ofteti refers to previous Cir-
cuit Cellar articles as reference material for each
month's current article. Most of these past articles
are available in reprint books from BYTE Books,
McGraw-Hill Book Company, POB 400, Mights-
town, NJ 08250.
Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar, Volume I covers articles
that appeared in BYTE from September 1977 through
November 1978. Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar, Volume
II contains articles from December 1978 through
June 1980. Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar, Volume III
contains articles from July 1980 through December
1981. Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar, Volume IV, soon
to appear, will contain articles from January 1982
through June 1983.
References
1. Cayton, Brian, and Mort Herman. "The CRT
9007 Video Processor and Controller:" BYTE,
April 1983, page 96.
2. Ciarcia, Steve. "Make Your Next Peripheral a
Real Eye Opener." BYTE, November 1976,
page 78.
3. Ciarcia, Steve. "Build the H-Com Handi-
capped Communicator." BYTE, November
1983, page 36.
4. Ciarcia, Steve. "Memory-Mapped I/O." BYTE,
November 1977, page 10.
5. Haas, Bob. "Single Chip Video Controller."
BYTE, May 1979, page 52.
6. Lancaster, Don. "TV Typewriter." Radio Elec-
tronics. September 1973, page 43.
7 Lancaster, Don. TV Typewriter Cookbook. In-
dianapolis: Howard W. Sams & Company,
1976.
8. Roberts, H. Edward, and William Yates. 'Altair
8800 Minicomputer." Part 1, Popular Elec-
tronics, January 1975, page 33. Part 2,
Popular Electronics, February 1975, page 56.
9. Tennant, Chris. "The Intel 8275 CRT Con-
troller." BYTE, May 1979, page 130.
10. Titus, Jonathan. "Build the Mark 8 Minicom-
puter." Radio Electronics, July 1974, page 29.
11. Wierenga, Theron. "Construction of a Fourth-
Generation Video Terminal." Part 1, BYTE,
August 1980, page 210. Part 2, BYTE,
September 1980, page 126.
To receive a complete list of Ciarcia's
Circuit Cellar project kits available from
the Micromint, circle 1 0O on the reader
service inquiry card at the back of the
magazine.
The following items are available from:
The Micromint
561 Willow Ave.
Cedarhurst, NY 11516
(800) 645-3479 for orders
(516) 374-6793 for information
1. Complete Term-Mite ST video-display-
terminal kit including NS455A, printed-
circuit board, IC sockets, DB-25S serial
connector, and all other components but
without keyboard or CRT monitor. Board
size is approximately 4Vi by 6V2 inches
with 0.156-inch 44-pin edge connector.
Price $239
2. Complete assembled and tested Term-Mite
ST terminal circuit board.
Price $279
Please add $5 for shipping in the continental
United States and $25 for all other countries.
New York residents please add 7 percent sales
tax. Allow four to six weeks for delivery.
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Fits in your coat pocket!
48 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 189 on inquiry card.
"I just eliminated eye
fatigue by replacing
the CRT Display Tube
on my computer"
Now you can eliminate th
strobe, flicker and fatigue
from your computer
terminal with a new
Soft- Vie w w
replacement CRT from j^
Langley-St. Clair.
Now you can upgrade your
monitor with a new European J
amber phosphor tube.
Available for the TRS-80,*
TeleVideo, Kaypro, Heath,
DEC, Zenith and a wide
variety of other monitors,
these new replacement dis-
play tubes use amber or green
phosphors which exceed the
European standards for persistence
and color.
• Available in slow decay green or medium decay
"European Amber" (the standard in Europe).
• Made with Lead/Strontium Impregnated glass that
stops X-ray emission.
• High-contrast face glass that also cuts U.V. radiation.
• Frosted glass with extra Anti-Glare benefits.
• Easily Installed . . . comes with pre-mounted hardware.
• Warranted for one full year against manufacturing
defects or tube failure.
• Ideal for word processing and programming, yet fast
enough for games and graphics.
And the "decay" or fade-out rate
of the phosphor is the same as
the "refresh" or scanning rate of
the computer screen, so the dis-
play glows gently, rather than
flickering like a strobe light - an
annoying problem with black &
white or inexpensive green
phosphor tubes.
Now, you can upgrade your
terminal or computer to world-
class performance with the
installation of a Langley-St. Clair
Soft-View™ CRT I
Call our toll-free number to determine which
tube will fit your computer or monitor.
LSIS Soft View'" CRfS
□ #DK34G Amber Phosphor w/AntkGiare
D #HZ34G Amber Phosphor w/Anti-Glare
□ #KP34G Amber Phosphor w/Anti-Glare
D #GN31G Green Phosphor w/Antt Glare
D #GN42 Green Phosphor
D #GN42G Green Phosphor w/Anti-Glare
□ #OR34 Amber Phosphor
□ #OR34G Amber Phosphor w/Ant>-Glare
Also available:
D #R22GRed Phosphorw/Anti-Glare S139.95
□ #B22G Blue Phosphorw/Anti Glare S1 39.95
Plus: $7.00 for packing and UPS shipping
S17.00 for Overseas. Parcel Post or UPS Blue Label
Add Soles Tax where applicable.
Inquire about the CRT's we have available for many other
computer models.
•Soft-View" Is a Trademark of Langley-St. Clair Instrumentation Systems. Inc.
TRS-80, TeleVideo. Kaypro. Heath. DEC and Zenith are Registered Trademarks of Tandy Corp.. TeleVideo Corp .
Circle 484 on inquiry card.
VISA
^p ;
To order or for more information, call:
800 221-7070
h New York call 212 989-6876
•%Lan3ley-St.Clair
Instrumentation Systems, Inc.
132 W. 24th St. New York. NY 10011
Non Linear Systems, Inc , Heath C o . Digital Equipment Co. Corp. and Zenith.
BYTE January 1984 49
PGS did it
With the no-compromise
monitor; the Princeton HX- 1 2,
PGS set the industry standard
for price/ performance in a high
resolution RGB color monitor,
Now, we've done it again
with the SR- 1 2: our new super-
resolution RGB monitor that
meets the most demanding ex-
pectations at a price that will
surprise you.
And PGS has set new
standards lp monochrome
monitors, too, with the new
MAX- 1 2 amber monitor that's
as easy on the eyes as it Is on
our budget
The monitor to meet your
needs
All three PGS monitors are
engineered for no-compromise
performance: to provide you
with a cleaner, sharper image
than any other monitor in the
same price class. The HX-12 and
the SR- 12 both feature uncom-
promising color convergence
for crisp whites without color
bleed. The MAX- 12 offers
impressive clarity in a mono-
chrome monitor with easy-on-
the-eyes amber phosphor.
And all three monitors come
with a shielded cable that plugs
directly into the IBM PC or XT.
Check the specifications
The HX- 1 2 has the highest
resolution (690x240) and the
finest dot pitch (31mm) in its
class. And yet it's suggested
retail price is comparable to
many medium resolution moni-
tors. The HX- 1 2 brings no-
compromise color to the PC and
now, with the PGS RGB-80
board, to the Apple lie as well.
gain.
The new SR- 1 2 also features a
3 1 mm dot pitch supporting 690
horizontal resolution. However,
by increasing the horizontal
scan rate to 3 1 .5 KHZ, the SR- 1 2
can support 480 vertical resolu-
tion in non-interlaced mode.
This results in a very high
quality, flickerless image with
the ability to generate text that
is truly of monochrome quality,
making it equally suitable for
word processing and for color
graphics. Suggested retail price,
a remarkable $799.
gain.
The new M AX- 1 2 offers you
an amber monitor with 720x350
resolution at a suggested retail
price [$249] that is actually
lower than the leading green-
on-black competitor. And the
MAX- 1 2, unlike many other
amber monitors, runs off the
IBM PC monochrome card —
no special card is required.
Clarity of the MAX- 1 2 is
enhanced by dynamic focusing
circuitry which ensures sharp-
ness not only in the center but
also in the edgesjahd corners.
A non-glare screen is standan
on all PGS monitors, color or
monochrome — a feature your
eyes will really appreciate in a
long work session.
Whatever your needs, from
word processing to super
resolution graphics/there's
now a no-compromise PGS
monitor that sets the standard.
Ask your dealer for a demon-
stration and let your eyes
decide. Or call for more infor-
mation and the name of your
nearest dealer.
I
VIDE0300
JEW 2
A I \ A / A
COLOR-II
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. . . another first for the industry with Amdek' s bold 2-year war-
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Amdek has always been thoroughly committed to the highest
quality standards . . . quality that's inherent in every monitor
component and every connection . . . quality that's triple
checked before every shipment. That's why we dare to offer
this extended warranty.
You expect top quality equipment to operate trouble-free for
years. We agree. This industry-first warranty is our answer to
your expectations. Enjoy Amdek performance . . . and keep
coming back for more!
See our complete line of color and monochrome monitors, plus
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more details.
52 BYTE January 1984
Circle 21 on inquiry card.
BYTE West Coast
Beyond the Word Processor
The time has come for text-editing software to surpass
the paper operations it mimics
To date, most personal computer
software has enabled us to do
familiar tasks more efficiently. With
a word processor, for example, we
can prepare documents, alter them,
and generate clean copies more easi-
ly than is possible using a typewriter,
paper, liquid correction fluid, and an
eraser. While the Block Move com-
mands in word processors make re-
arranging text simpler and encourage
writers to revise, nothing about word
processors makes it easier to create a
document when the ideas are still in
a formative stage or to analyze a
document that is already complete.
Spreadsheets are the great excep-
tion. They let us analyze related
numerical parameters in a way never
before available to individuals. Some
may dispute this view, saying that
spreadsheets just let us look at more
alternatives than we could using
paper and calculator. The contribu-
tion of the spreadsheet program, in
this view, is merely an improvement
in efficiency over customary
methods.
But spreadsheet software con-
tributes much more than increased
efficiency. As you watch the effects of
changing one figure ripple through
a whole model, you are able to think
in larger terms than a calculator and
paper allow. Furthermore, the visual
rippling itself sometimes is tanta-
mount to a graphical simulation of
the problem under study. You gain a
better understanding of relationships
by Phil Lemmons
in the model and a feeling for the
probable consequences of different
kinds of changes. When a change
causes startling results, you realize
that either the model doesn't reflect
reality or the reality is different in
some important way from what you
thought. The spreadsheet software
provides a ready means for analyz-
ing the startling result.
The time has come for text-editing
software to surpass the power of the
paper operations it mimics. To date,
word processors have taken concep-
tually complete documents and
printed them out neatly. The most in-
teresting and difficult part of prepar-
ing many text documents, however,
comes much earlier— when concepts
are inchoate and their interrelation-
ships are dimly understood. Text
editors for programmers have pro-
vided "macros" that permit auto-
matic execution of a series of opera-
tions, but the operations chained are
usually a series of search-and-replace
operations designed to achieve a
result that conforms to the rigid syn-
tax of a programming language.
Can software help us grope
through the earlier stages of text
composition? Can it help us analyze
finished documents?
Let's take a case in point. In the ear-
ly stages of composition, the writer
is thinking things through. Although
the writer is putting words on paper,
he or she is grappling with concepts
that encompass more than single
words or phrases or even paragraphs.
Take a work of fiction, for example.
As the author writes, he or she thinks
about large ideas such as characters,
atmosphere, and plot. The author
may be reflecting on the character
George and whether he develops
convincingly, or about how to give a
scene a spooky atmosphere before
George enters, or about how to build
suspense before the climax. The
writer thinks in terms of George's
character as it extends and evolves
throughout the novel. He or she
thinks of the scene that is meant to
be spooky as one that builds on pre-
ceding scenes and prepares for sub-
sequent scenes and wonders how to
build suspense in terms of creating
and resolving tensions between char-
acters.
Regardless of what the writer is
thinking, however, the word pro-
cessor can directly manipulate words
and phrases only. What the word
processor can directly manipulate is
much smaller than what the writer's
mind can directly manipulate.
How could text-editing software
help the writer grapple more direct-
ly with concepts larger than words
and phrases? I offer a few sugges-
tions, again with reference to fiction.
A utility called Character could ex-
tract some specifiable number of
sentences before and after each oc-
currence of a character's name (let's
call these "character blocks") and
assemble all the extractions (in a
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 53
"character summary") for convenient
viewing by the writer. The CHARAC-
TER command might have switches
that select specifiable kinds of infor-
mation from the character blocks
rather than the entire blocks. For ex-
ample, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives
that express feeling might all be
pulled out of the manuscript to give
the writer a check on the character's
emotional evolution. Terms likely to
be used in physical descriptions of
the character might similarly be ex-
tracted. A pop-up menu headed
"Character" might have these sub-
headings:
Feelings
Physical description
Actions
Associations
People
Places
Spoken words
Another command, PLACES,
could extract all the passages in
which the character is mentioned in
connection with any country, city,
town, building, room, and so on. A
command called ATMOSPHERE
could extract all passages containing
terms of color, feeling, sound, etc., in
connection with a specifiable place.
The next step in making software
more useful to a writer would be to
allow use of Boolean operators with
these commands. It would be useful,
for example, if a writer could ask for
all passages containing references to
both the character Tom and the room
cellar.
This special text editor would gain
tremendous power if it enabled the
writer to insert markers that corres-
pond to milestones, such as chapter
breaks, scene breaks, climax,
denouement, and so on. The other
commands could then present their
data in relation to the milestones. It
would be handy, for example, to see
how a character's feelings or actions
after the climax compared with those
before. Using Boolean operators
along with milestones, the writer
could quickly select information that
shows how a character feels about a
certain place both before and after the
climax of the story. Since characters'
emotions are often expressed in rela-
tion to the objects around them, the
combination of milestones and
Boolean operators would be a power-
ful characterization tool.
An equally useful extension would
let the writer specify a new com-
mand, a list of menu items to appear
when the command is invoked, and
a list of words and phrases to search
whenever the writer used the com-
mand and specified a menu item.
It is worth noting that none of
these suggestions for developing an
editing program for writers of fiction
would do anything to replace or
diminish the writers' creativity. The
commands would merely give the
writer quick access to information
that related to developing concepts in
the story. The writer could check how
the text on disk compared to the
writer's current ideas about a char-
acter, place, and so on. As the writer's
ideas changed, the editing com-
mands would help extract the rele-
vant passages to speed the reshaping
of the text to reflect the writer's
changed ideas.
Special Functions for Special
Needs
Just as fiction writers have special
needs, so do writers of other kinds
of documents. In writing a proposal
for funding, for example, it would be
useful to have the document sum-
marized instantly in terms of its
references to objectives set in the RFP
(Request for Proposal). Tracing each
objective against a time line would be
another helpful feature. Inveterate
proposal writers could suggest other
features.
In narrative writing, it would be
useful to be able to extract the se-
quence of tenses in a piece; in history
especially, to extract the sequence of
dates and times.
Business writers could suggest spe-
cial editing features for business
plans and annual reports. Com-
mands that extracted all numerical in-
formation and plotted it against a
time line would be useful during
writing. Another helpful command
would extract paragraphs containing
references to specified divisions,
departments, positions, or persons.
Boolean operators would be as help-
ful here as in fiction.
Other missing facilities would help
writers in all fields. One problem in
any extended piece of writing is to
make strong transitions from one sec-
tion or chapter to the next. A com-
mand that extracted the last two para-
graphs of each section and the first
two paragraphs of the following sec-
tion would let the writer have a quick
look at all the transitions in the
document.
Good Signs
Two programs that go beyond
word processing are now on the mar-
ket: Thinktank, from Living Video-
text in Palo Alto, California, and
Zyindex, from Zylab Corporation in
Chicago, Illinois. Both these pro-
grams recognize that a collection of
words can be much more than a
finished document. They give the
user new ways of getting hold of in-
formation contained in text files.
In the case of Thinktank, available
for the Apple He for $150 and the IBM
PC for $195, you obtain information
through a tree structure. A document
is a large outline. There are headings
and subheadings ad infinitum, but
you see only as much of the outline
as you wish. The EXPAND and COL
LAPSE commands control what you
see. Thinktank displays a " + " in
front of every heading that has fur-
ther information under it. You know
you have reached the end of a branch
when a " - " sign precedes a heading.
If you use the EXPAND command on
an item that is preceded by a " + " the
next level of branches will be dis-
played. You can expand your way
through level after level. When you
want to concentrate on the more
general levels of the outline, you use
the COLLAPSE command to hide the
levels that give details. By expanding
and collapsing, you can delve into
the tree of data or concentrate on
only the broad headings. You can
also move items about in the struc-
ture, promoting them to higher levels
or moving them to other parts of the
outline. You can insert new items and
merge old ones as well.
Thinktank, then, is most useful
when a document is in the formative
54 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
VI
Microsoft®, the
people who set the
standard for software,
have done it again with the
Microsoft Mouse.
Our expertise in both hardware and
software has gone into the develop-
ment of the Microsoft Mouse. Now
you can plug in the most exciting
computer product of the year and
put it to work.
The Mouse lets you move
the cursor freely and natu-
rally, then execute com-
mands at the push of a
button.
The Microsoft Mouse is a complete system
It comes with an on-screen tutorial, a
practice application, and the Multi-
Tool™. Notepad, a mouse-based
text editor, so you can begin using
the Mouse right away. And for
application
developers, the
Mouse includes a pro-
grammable interface driver
to give your application program
complete control over the Mouse's
operation.
That's the kind of support you'd expect
from Microsoft. After all, we were the
world's first microcomputer software
company. Today, more than a million
microcomputers are running Micro-
soft-languages, operat-
ing systems, applica-
tion programs, and
hardware-software
combinations.
You can get the
Microsoft Mouse
in either a bus or
serial version
for the IBM®
PC or PC XT
Ask your
Microsoft
dealer for a dem-
onstration of the
Microsoft Mouse
—a whole new standard.
BETTER TOOLS FOR MICROCOMPUTERS
„ MICROSOFT.
Microsoft is a registered trademark,
and MS and the Microsoft logo are
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Specify • Marketing, Manufacturing, distribution, tales «»« promotion plan
for the SillyCloite portable computer.
The machine is 188x software compatible with the IBM Perr— -■ " * - -
adds features (tome useful, some deliberdt«ly frivolous)
ami FUN to use,
*'meliness of Market Entry
-r unique features
+ LCDs label the function keys
sal hells, real whistles (gimicks)
+ Built-in Sony Walkman (tm)
+ Unique Promotion
- contest - co«e up yith the Host unique place to use a SillyClo*
- ad shows King Kong using a SillyClone atop the Empire State Bui._.
+ Fun to use
- ad says: "Why do you think we called it SillyClone?"
+ Schedule
it Specifications
_x»*»i colUrtt Iwtrt mm window delete HE keyword port Mitt functloi mtr.
use the f lashing cursor to edit tart
Photo 1: Thinktank in use, with the main command menu shown.
The EXTRA command at right leads to a second list of commands.
Each item preceded by a "+ " can be expanded to show subheadings
or paragraphs, while each item preceded by a "- " represents the end
of a branch.
Specify a markeftinf. Manufacture. dlstrifcatioM, sales ana pr
for tarn SillyClone portable computer.
The Machine it 188x software compatible with the IBM Personal Computer, bat
adds features (some useful* sotte deliberately frivolous) which aa L -
and fUH to use.
♦ Timeliness of Market Entry
+ Unique features
+ LCDs label the function keys
- Heal bells, real whistles (giwicks)
+ Built-in Sony Walkman (tm)
♦ Unique Promotion
- contest - come up with the wost unique place to use a SillyClone
- ad shows King Kong using a SillyClone atop the Empire State Bui I
+ Fun to use
- ad says: "Why do you think we called it SillyClone?"
Schedu le
J Ucktpccm typmovBF ft ml xcfaftf* ■•■•ct
Photo 2: The edit menu of Thinktank. Although not a word pro-
cessor in the usual sense, Thinktank does include a good text editor.
stages. As your ideas change and
various aspects of them become more
and less important, you can alter the
document to reflect the changes.
However much rearranging you do,
Thinktank leaves you with a neat out-
line that looks as if you understood
the subject when you started out.
In a way, Thinktank is analogous to
a spreadsheet. A spreadsheet lets
you rearrange numbers and relation-
ships until you find a coherent ar-
rangement that shows how to attain
your goals. Thinktank manipulates
text in a way that lets you rearrange
its internal logical relationships until
the structure supports a main idea.
A spreadsheet is a number manipu-
lator. Thinktank is a text manipulator.
Living Videotext calls Thinktank an
"idea processor" to distinguish it
from a word processor. While the
term is a bit optimistic, it will have to
do until a better one comes along.
Thinktank's specific contribution is to
apply tree structures to text. Its more
general contribution is to treat a body
of text as a database whose parts hap-
pen to be text.
Photo 1 shows a sample screen
from Thinktank. As the main com-
mand menu reveals, Thinktank lets
you search for items based on key-
words. This search differs from one
in a word processor in that it finds
paragraphs or branches that contain
a key word— not just the keyword. In
other words, you can confine your
search for a keyword to a particular
area. Selecting the EXTRA command
at the right of the main menu brings
a menu of extra commands, includ-
ing PROMOTE, which promotes a
subheading to a higher level. Photo
2 shows the edit menu, displayed
after you select the EDIT command
from the main menu.
Zyindex, too, treats text as a data-
base. This program lets you search a
body of text for occurrences of any
word, or of any two or more words
within a specifiable number of words
of each other. What makes Zyindex
so much more valuable than the
Search function of a word processor
is the availability of Boolean opera-
tors. You can look for any occurrence
of either "Johnson" or "Holmes"
within 100 words of "embezzlement."
Or any occurrence of both "Johnson"
and "Holmes" within 100 words of
"embezzlement."
Zyindex works by making an index
of all the informational words in what
it calls a textbase. That is to say, the
index excludes "noise" words, such
as prepositions and conjunctions.
You make a search request with
Zyindex by combining content terms
with connector words. The connec-
tor words are OR, AND, NOT] WITH-
IN, and ( ) [parentheses] . NOT rep-
resents the exclusive OR, and the
parentheses are used to mark the
scope of the other connectors.
Zyindex will print out all the files that
conform to a request or let you peek
at the relevant passages within those
files. Zyindex runs on the IBM PC,
requires 192K bytes of RAM and two
double-sided drives, and costs $295.
Zyindex enables you to test for rela-
tionships among items in an index.
You can extract relevant information
quickly to test a theory, to support an
argument, to confirm an association,
or to speed analysis of a body of text
that resides on disk.
Programs like Thinktank and
Zyindex show that word processing
is the least interesting part of process-
ing text; the interesting parts are dur-
ing the generation of ideas, which
Thinktank aids, and during the
analysis of a body of information ac-
cumulated in text files, which
Zyindex aids. These programs hold
great promise because they show that
programmers are thinking of ways to
let personal computer users do more
with text than print clean copies and
individually addressed form letters.
If anything is holding back devel-
opment of software for text manipu-
lation, it is the failure of those of us
who create, edit, and analyze text to
specify features that would be useful
to us. In the age of the typewriter,
there was no point in dreaming of
such features. In the age of the per-
sonal computer, expressing our
dreams may result in products that
make such features a reality. ■
Phil Lemmons is managing editor of BYTE. He
can be reached at POB 372, Hancock, NH 03449.
56 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
.'v.-:-
WITH THE PASSWORD MODEM AND
TELPAC BEN FRANKLIN COULD HAVE
PUBLISHED THE FRIDAY EVENING POST
ihe
Lhe Password™ modem and
Telpac™ software deliver text fast,
far, cheap, and letter-perfect. Fast?
Ten times faster than an expert typ-
ist (and four times faster than most
other modems). Far? Crosstown or
crosscountry. Letter perfect? Multi-
ple accuracy checks of your text are
just one editorial benefit. Cheap?
Thousands of words by phone
lines, for less than express mail.
And if the text is to be typeset,
in
the cost will be half or less - the
proofreading zero!
Password is USR's virtually
automatic modem: 300/1200 baud,
auto dial/answer, auto mode/speed
select, two-year warranty: $449 *
Telpac, the USR friendly telecom-
munications software package,
$79. Write or call for complete
£ M descriptions -both Telpac
and Password do far more
than this!
U.S. ROBOTICS INC.
1123 WEST WASHINGTON • CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60607
(312) 733-0497
Circle 366 on inquiry card.
■
- ■■',.. ..
Displays and hard copy output courtesy of ISSCO. SAS/GRAPH TU -SAS Institute Inc , Swanson Analysis Systems. Inc. and GDS-Apphed Research ot Cambridge.
CP'M-86 is a registered trademark ot Digital Research. Inc. Copyright » 1983. Tektronix, Inc All rights reserved #UNO-220
VTtOO is a registered trademark of Digital Equipmenl Corporation,
TEK
GRAPHICS DESKTOP
PRODUCTS
THE GRAPHICS
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VT100 text editing and
PLOT 10 color graphics
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complete.
Tek's new 4100 Series
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As simulated, Tek's 60 Hz
refresh rate and bright phos-
phors result in a flicker-free
image with perceivably better
definition than that provided
by 30 Hz terminals quoting
greater pixel densities.
Standard capabilities
include 38.4K baud com-
munications; easy color
selection from the key-
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a separate display sur-
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and compatibility with
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an uncondi-
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4170 Local Graphics
Processing unit. The
CP/M-86-based 4170
provides up to 886K RAM
for standalone program-
ming and pre- or post-
processing — to help you
conserve host power
while you build upon a
central data base.
Factor in compatibility
with Tek PLOT 10 soft-
ware and 4110 Series
terminals, and you'll
discover the first
desktop graphics that
you can't outgrow. Call
your Tek Sales Engineer
for a demonstration.
For the number, or for
literature, contact:
U.S.A., Asia, Australia,
Central & South America,
Japan
Tektronix, Inc.
RO. Box 4828
Portland, OR 97208
Phone: 800/547-1512
Oregon only: 800/452-1877
Europe, Africa, Middle East
Tektronix Europe B.V.
Postbox 827
1180AVAmstelveen
The Netherlands
Telex: 18312—18328
Canada
Tektronix Canada Inc.
RO. Box 6500
Barrie, Ontario L4M 4V3
Phone: 705/737-2700
"All prices quoted are U.S.
Domestic only.
Tektronix
COMMOTED TD EXCELLENCE
Good things come in 2s.
The DMP-40-2 is a good example.
TWO PENS j poised and able, help you create
vivid multicolor business graphics quickly and
simply, or let you plot and draw different line
widths for critical drafting applications.
TWO FORMAT SIZES give you the freedom
to generate vibrant graphics for reports and pre-
sentations. The standard 8V2 x 11" format is
ideal for use in the report body, while the larger
size is suitable for foldouts and photo reduc-
tions. Both the standard and larger 11 x 17" for-
mats are available in bond, vellum and acetate
film (for colorful overlays or overhead trans-
parencies). The two formats are interchangeable
with drafting sizes A and B. No extra-cost ac-
cessories are needed when plotting on different
surfaces.
TWO INTELLIGENCE LEVELS provide
the flexibility to plot in either a 'smart'or incre-
mental mode. With internal firmware that oc-
cupies 16-thousand bytes, the DMP-40-2
borders on brilliance. It's capable of automat-
ically generating such complex figures as circles,
arcs, ellipses and general curves with a single
simple command.
60 BYTE January 1984
More software is tailored to the Houston In-
strument DMP-40 Series than for any other
plotter. Well over a hundred programs are avail-
able, offered by scores of capable vendors. Each
program has been configured in concert with
Houston Instrument, so there are no rude sur-
prises when you hit 'return.' Versatile programs
for business graphics, investment analysis and
computer-aided drafting are all available, with
more added virtually on a daily basis.
Choose 2 for the show, and treat yourself to
superior multi-color graphics at a very 'budget
friendly*' price.
For the name, address and phone number of your
nearest distributor or dealer, write Houston Instru-
ment, 8500 Cameron Rd., Austin, Texas 78753.
Phone 512-835-0900 or 800-531-5205 if outside
Texas. In Europe contact Bausch & Lomb Belgium
NV., Rochesterlaan 6, 8240 Gistel, Belgium. Tel.
059-27-74-45, tlx 846-81399.
houston instrument
^Suggested US Retail $995.
Meets FCC class B requirements. UL Listed.
4P011
Circle 185 on inquiry card.
User's Column
Too Many Leads, or What in
*;?!#"*? Goes First?
In a heavy news month, our user covers several important items
This has been the month of the
changing lead. It began with
upgrading the Eagle 1600. Then Tyler
Sperry brought over the Kaypro 10,
a portable machine with a hard disk.
We'd no sooner got that running than
the Osborne Computer Corporation
filed for Chapter 11, and that need-
ed commenting on. Then I got upset
by the mess Congress is making out
of attempts to promote computer
literacy, but before I could write
anything about it, Epson sent us yet
another version of Valdocs for the
QX-10.
Just after that, I got a copy of the
legal reasoning in the Apple v.
Franklin suit, which holds that "a
computer program, whether in object
code or in source code, is a 'literary
work' and is protected from
unauthorized copying." There are
some powerful implications in that.
For one thing, if program publishers
rely on copyright, how can they ex-
pect to enforce those silly licensing
agreements they foist off on us?
If all that weren't enough, I went
to CP/M East in Boston, where Digital
Research's Gary Kildall displayed DR
Logo and Bill Godbout held a big
by Jerry Pournelle
clambake to celebrate Compupro's
tenth anniversary. Godbout also
unveiled the Compupro 10, formerly
yclept Shirley, and there's a story to
go with that. Rod Coleman was
there, too, with the new Sage IV,
which is a good candidate for the best
available computer based on the
68000 chip. Finally, after CP/M East
I paid my very first visit to BYTE
headquarters in Peterborough, New
Hampshire.
Any one of these events would be
important enough for the lead item
in the column, but none of them is,
because on the way to Peterborough
I stopped at Steve Ciarcia's Circuit
Cellar.
Quicksilver
Steve has designed an absolutely
dynamite upgrade to the IBM PC. He
asked me not to do the full story this
issue, because he's still playing
around with the way he wants to
package it. That's fine, but if you're
at all short of money, don't buy
anything for your PC until you've
seen Ciarcia's Quicksilver. I can
darned near guarantee it will be the
first thing you'll want.
Quicksilver is a one-card computer
that uses the IBM PC as a power
supply, disk drive, and smart ter-
minal. It has its own CPU (central
processing unit, or brain) aboard.
Using Quicksilver is simple: you
preload a PC BASIC compiler that
appears as if it's in ROM and write
a program in BASIC, doing all your
debugging and logic testing in the
usual way. Then you run it under
Quicksilver, which compiles the pro-
gram in seconds as you "load" it.
Then it executes the compiled pro-
gram. The results are astounding. I
might not have believed it if I hadn't
seen it myself: programs run 100 times
as fast.
If that weren't enough, Quicksilver
also lets you run CP/M-80 programs
and has a C compiler. There's also a
structured assembler and a text editor
integrated with the BASIC compiler.
I didn't myself see those features
work, but I've no reason to doubt that
they do. Ciarcia has a habit of getting
things right.
Incidentally, for the congenital
doubters among our readership:
there really is a Circuit Cellar, and it
really is in Steve's basement.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 61
2720 S. Harbor Blvd., Suite E, Santa Ana, CA 92704
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However, if you picture a basement
as a damp, messy place, get rid of that
image. Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar is none
of that. Most of it is carpeted, with
paneled walls and designer furniture,
more rec room than cellar. In the
middle of all that is a work area with
wide Formica-topped counters and
lots of test equipment.
It's also neat. In fact, although
they're tearing Steve's house apart to
put in a new kitchen, the whole place
is neat, which suggests that Steve
and his wife, Joyce, have some fun-
damental secret that escapes the rest
of us. Every time I see a place like his,
I get fantastic plans. If I just add
storage cabinets here and bookcases
there, I too could have some bare
counter tops, and chairs not piled
with paper and boxes, and
somewhere to put things as they
come in.
Then I come home to Chaos
Manor. Ah, well.
Survival
I'm writing this in early October.
Just at the moment, in obvious reac-
tion to the Osborne disaster, both
computer and mainstream maga-
zines are full of articles and editorials
about "the great shakeout" in the
micro industry. A number of com-
panies are said to be in trouble, and
"experts" are predicting that we've
reached a new age in micros, one in
which only the giants like IBM can
survive.
I don't believe that.
I suppose the micro industry will
be dominated by the giants— but
there's plenty of room for the others.
In U.S. business as a whole, about 10
percent of all sales are made by com-
panies with a gross income of less
than half a million dollars. There are
some 5 million of them. Another 35
percent of all sales are made by the
520,625 companies with gross in-
comes of $500,000 to $25 million. At
the other end of the spectrum, a bit
less than half of all sales are made by
the 2355 companies with gross in-
comes of $100 million or more.
That's all U.S. business, from steel
rails to books to coffee spoons. The
computer industry is skewed a bit
more toward smaller companies. I
62 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 292 on inquiry card.
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This system meets your needs... WHATEVER THEY
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Dealer and OEM inquiries welcome.
We desiqn the future.
NET/work is a trademark of MuSYS Corporation. TurboDOS is a
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Research, Inc. Ethernet is a trademark of Xerox Corporation.
think it will stay that way, because
the micro world changes like dreams,
and smaller, leaner companies, with
fewer links in the decision chain, can
respond faster to changes in
technology.
The giants look to big sales, hun-
dreds of thousands of copies of near-
ly identical units. While they're set-
ting up to do that, the small, adapt-
able, fast-moving outfits get their
innings.
Example: there's a persistent rumor
that IBM has developed a small, por-
table computer based on the iAPX186
CPU chip. The problem is that Intel
isn't producing the chips fast enough.
It has had to put its customers on
allocation.
IBM can't work that way. However,
if you really want an iAPX186 com-
puter, Slicer will be glad to sell you
one. It comes without frills. There's
no case and no power supply, but it
works. Jim Hudson and I are doing
an article on the Slicer, which is a
good buy for technically sophisti-
cated users. My point, though, is that
Slicer can make profits on its
machine, even though the company
will never have any large share of the
microcomputer market.
Another example: I first met Rod
Coleman at a West Coast Computer
Faire. Forty days before the Faire, his
Sage Computer Technology company
was destroyed by a disastrous fire.
Rod was standing there with his
three working machines. None had
a hard disk; he'd show you melted
fragments and refer to them as "our
well-burned-in disk drive." In less
than a year, Sage was doing a million
dollars' worth of business annually;
I recently got an announcement that
the company had had a million-
dollar month, and it hasn't stopped
growing. The Sage IV may well be
the best 68000-chip computer on the
market.
Yet another example: even as
Osborne was getting into trouble,
Kaypro was growing by leaps and
bounds. The reasons for that are
complex, and indeed Kaypro couldn't
possibly be doing as well as it is if
Osborne hadn't led the way; but it
does show that small, well-made,
and well-thought-out systems can
thrive. The Kaypro 10 is the first por-
table machine to use a hard disk.
Other innovations are coming.
A final example. Bill Godbout just
threw a big party to celebrate the
tenth anniversary of Compupro.
Here's a company with a reputation
for armor-plated high-technology
hardware. It very nearly dominates
the development systems market.
Now it's trying to expand its market
share by selling easy-to-use business
systems.
Last time I looked, Compupro had
maybe 2 percent of the micro market.
That doesn't sound like much— but if
you look at Compupro's actual dollar
income, it has been doing business
at a steadily rising rate. Most accoun-
tants would sell their livers for that
kind of profitability.
At the height of the Osborne
boom, the company was shipping
around 8000 computers a month,
which generated sales on the order
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64 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 234 on inquiry card.
DISKS
COME
THE HARDPART IS MAKING SURE
THEYSTAYTHATWY
A disk is built with certain safeguards. That's why most disk makers
offer guarantees that the product you receive comes to you error free.
We at Memtek Products are concerned that the minidisk remains
error free. Every time you use it. After exposure to dust, cigarette
smoke, fingerprints, even wear caused by your computer. And so, we
have built safeguards around the disk, as well.
Memtek Products' latest innovation • • .
acknowledgment of a real world
beyond the laboratory*
The hub ring. Designed to prevent our minidisks from jam-
ming in your machine. Rigid. Durable. Reinforced.
The coating. A critically-controlled coating of high-energy
magnetic oxide particles that covers the disk's surface, which is then
micro-polished to improve head to disk contact, preventing
dropouts, lowering head abrasion.
The lubrication system. A constant lubricant protects both the
disk surface and the drive head from wear.
The sleeve. Comes with a soft liner that protects the disk while
gently cleaning the surface.
The guarantee.
Well replace, free, any
minidisk if it fails to
accurately store and
retrieve data due to a
defect in materials or
workmanship for up to
5 years from date of
purchase. Simply mail the
disk back.
The Memtek lineup.
Premium, double and quad
density minidisks as well as 10-
and 15-minute computer
cassettes and a.5V4" disk drive
head cleaner.
WEPLAY
FORKED*
of $100 million a year. That may not
be big by IBM standards, but it's not
peanuts, and it made Osborne one of
the Big Ones in the micro field.
There are 5.5 million U.S. com-
panies, and just about every one of
them will spend $2000 a year on
microcomputers. There are at least a
million people who spend a thou-
sand dollars a year on personal com-
puter products, and I'd be greatly sur-
prised if that number didn't hit 10
million in the next few years. One-
half of one percent of that is $105
million— Osborne's peak income.
Look at it another way. Assume
sales are distributed by company size
roughly the way they are in U.S.
business as a whole.
Of $20 billion total sales, 10 giants
will get half. The other half will sup-
port a thousand companies with
average sales of 10 million dollars,
which in practice is more likely to be
900 smaller outfits and 50 large ones.
Even so, there's plenty of room.
This isn't to say that things won't
get tricky. They always do when
T\irn any Touch-Tone® phoneintoa
remote data entry terminal
By combiningthe capabilities of an
intelligent modem with a DTMF to
ASCII converter, Teltone has un-
locked countless opportunities for
you. With a Ifeleport 300 on your
computer, you can use any Touch-
Tone® phone in the country as a
remote data entry terminal, or, if
you wish, a control panel.
Imagine the possibilities : Branch
office order entry, Inventory con-
trol, Remote control of environ-
mental systems, Data logging,
Emergency access to process con-
trol systems, Credit card authori-
zations, etc. The list goes on and on.
It's a full-featured smart modem
The Teleport 300 is a fully equipped
intelligent modem: Bell 103 J com-
patible, auto answer and originate,
with tone and pulse repertory dial-
ing and call progress indications.
It's menu driven and user program-
mable. An internal buffer lets the
Teleport handle DTE speeds from
75 to 9600 baud.
Teleport delivers front end
hardware security
You can program the Teleport 300
to respond only to a pre-determined
series of DTMF signals. Unless the
correct DTMF tones are detected,
callers are not connected to your
computer. It's an effective hard-
warebarrierinfrontofanysoftware
security scheme you may be using
to protect valuable programs and
data.
List price is $399.95.
To get all the Teleport details, call:
1-800-227-3800 ext 1130
Dealer inquiries are invited. Call the
'Ieltone Telcom Components Division :
(206) 827-9626 ext 220.
Teltone Corporation
10801 120th Avenue NE
P.O. Box 657
Kirkland, WA 08033
TWX 910 449-2862
Touch-Tone® is a registered trademark of AT&T.
you're up against large resources. The
big boys can survive mistakes that
bankrupt small companies. They can
afford to lose money setting up store
outlets and service centers. They can
also afford to advertise.
The smaller outfits also have some
advantages. They don't have to tool
up for big production runs, and their
decision structures are leaner, so they
can track new technology better.
They may not have in-house service
organizations, but as the industry
matures there'll be more and more
trained technicians. Some will stay
independent, others will work for
service companies like Xerox, which
is rapidly becoming something like a
cross between AAMCO and Tuneup
Masters, only for micros. Parts out-
fits will spring up. Somebody's going
to get rich out of stocking spare parts,
repair kits, and instruction sheets.
It may happen that someday all the
really exciting developments in the
computer field will come from the
research labs set up by the giants; but
that hasn't happened yet, and I don't
really think it will. In fact, I see small
computers as the great equalizers. I
think they're going to change the
structure of business in this country,
not just for the micro business, but
for everyone, making it much easier
for small outfits to compete with the
giants; but that's a topic for another
column.
Upgrading the Eagle 1600
One of the things we're hard at
work on is Inferno, an Adventure-
style game based on the novel that
Larry Niven and I published some
years ago. The original plan was that
Larry and I would write the script for
the game, and my son Alex would do
the code. Alas, Alex finds himself
spread almost as thin as I am. For-
tunately, though, Marty Massoglia,
who's both an experienced program-
mer and as mad on games as we are,
became available just as we despaired
of getting the project accomplished.
There remained the problem of
what language to write it in. Since
the original contract calls for the
game to run on the IBM PC, we
needed something available in PC-
DOS; but we have delusions of sell-
66 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 353 on inquiry card.
PRINTERS
Prowriter
1 20 cps, 4 fonts (includes pro-
portional), 8 sizes, 160 x 144 dpi,
friction & tractor feed A worthy
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Prowriter $399.88
Prowriter 2 719.88
Starwriter
Letter-quality, 4 cps. 136
columns 10 & 12 pitch, uses
Diablo wheels & ribbons (Qume
code). The Prlntmaster is the 55
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A10 Starwriter $609.88
Starwriter 1219.88
Printmaster 1589.88
Tractor Feed. 289.88
Sheet Feed 809.88
DIABLO
620 $999.88
630 1979.88
Senes 32 1049.88
EPSON
RX/FX Epsons CALL
IDS
Micro 480 $529.88
I P-Series 80 1 079.88
w/4-color 1 439.88
P-Serles 1 32 1 239.88
I w/4-color 1889.88
| INFORUNNER
Riteman
A compact printer with 1 20 cps,
10/17 cpi, 1 60 x 1 44 dpi graphics,
optional tractor (pin/friction std.).
Parallel $349.88
MANNESMAN N TALLY
MT-160 L
0&
The MT-160 L (1 60 cps) features
8 fonts (including a correspon-
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The MT-1 80 L is a 1 36 column
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MT-160 L $649.88
MT-180L 649.88
Spirit 329.88
NEC
2010/2030 $879.88
2050 999.68
3510 1549.88
3530 1639.88
3550 1899.88
7710/7730 2159.88
Silver Reed EXP-550 & EXP-500
Silver Reed's printers are excep-
tional. Both the EXP-550 (17 cps) and
the EXP-500 (12 cps) feature sub and
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Diablo 1 610/1620 code emulation,
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EXP-550 (Parallel) $669.88
EXP-550 (RS-232C) $689.88
EXP-550 Tractor Feed $1 39.88
EXP-500 (Parallel) $439.88
EXP-500 (RS-232C) $469.88
EXP-500 Tractor Feed $1 29.88
Microline Series
The 92/93 printers (1 60 cps) &
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Tough, reliable, they produce
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selling printer line.
The 84 Step 2 (200 cps) is a
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12, 17 cpi, plus correspondence
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Microline Series SCALL
PANASONIC
KX-P1090
The KX-P1 090 printer (80 cps) is
a sharp new entry by Panasonic.
10, 12 & 17 cpi, sub/superscripts,
underline, friction/tractor feed &
dot graphics. It uses most Epson
code, so if s easily installed on
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Panasonic.
KX-P1090 $349.88
SMITH CORONA
Messenger
The Memory Correct III
Messenger (1 2 cps) features 1 0,
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Memory Correct III
Messenger $599.88
STARMICRONICS
Gemini 10X/15
Gemini 1 OX. $299.88
W/RS-232C 399.88
Gemini 15 459.88
W/RS-232C 589.88
Delta 10 529.88
W/RS-232C 61 9.88
TOSHIBA
P 1350 $1759.88
CABLES
IBM-PC $39.88
Osborne-1 39.88
TRS-80
Model l/lll/IV. 39.88
Model 11/16 39.88
Centronics
Male/Male 39.88
Male/Female 39.88
VIC-20/Commodore 64
Parallel Card/Cable 59.88
Ap?lell/ll+/Me
Parallel Card/Cable 89.88
QUA DRAM
Microfazer
A print buffer with pause, copy &
reset controls. It comes with a 9V
power supply and cable to printer.
There are so many buffer sizes
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configurations (Parallel/Parallel,
Parallel/RS-232C, RS-232C/Par-
allel & RS-232C/RS-232C) that
you should call (BOO) 3430726
for prices.
MONITORS
M
JB 1 205M (amber) $1 79.88
JB 1 201 M (green) 1 59.88
AMDEK
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For the IBM-PC...
We carry a var ety of peripherals
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Circle 46 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 67
ing this to the 8-bit CP/M world as
well, so it needed to be portable. Of
course, we'd originally intended to
write it in Pascal, that being what
Alex is most familiar with; and
although Marty isn't, he didn't think
it would give him any real trouble,
since if you know a couple of com-
puter languages it's not so hard to
learn another.
There remained the question of
what machine to use. The obvious
answer, an IBM PC, was out: we
ordered our PC direct from IBM last
June. In late June IBM returned the
check with a letter saying it had to be
certified. By the time we sent a cer-
tified check it was early July. Since
then IBM keeps telling us Real Soon
Now, but as of October 9 there's no
PC in sight [it arrived on November
We do have the Eagle 1600, which
runs PC-DOS and is a lot faster than
the IBM PC. The only incompatibil-
ity would be screen-format com-
mands and graphics, and we hadn't
planned special graphics for Inferno
anyway, so the Eagle looked like a
good choice. Marty took the Eagle,
along with Pascal/MT + 86, which is
the brand of Pascal that Alex favors
for microcomputers. A few days
passed while Marty familiarized
himself with the machine, and with
Pascal, and decided on the structure
of the game.
Then came the problems.
Pascal/MT +86 wouldn't compile. In-
stead, Marty got "Out of Memory"
messages. He also had some suspi-
cions about the text editor.
Eaglewriter, which is Lexisoft's
Spellbinder adapted for the Eagle,
puts some strange formatting
characters into the text. It also refuses
to put in linefeed characters; like
Write (which we do not yet have run-
ning on the Eagle), Eaglewriter uses
a bare carriage return, no linefeed, as
the "newline" marker.
"I don't think MT + will compile it
even if we have enough memory,"
Marty said.
"Well, that's easy to fix," said I.
"Just write a little assembly-language
filter that copies the files and puts in
linefeeds. I have one here for the
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8080. Surely it's not so hard to do for
the 8088."
"Well, it is," said Marty, "because
the assembler won't accept input
without linefeeds."
At that point I had to leave town,
and I turned the matter over to Alex.
When I got back, he'd talked to the
people at Eagle Computer and found
out a lot of things.
First, that's not an 8088 in the
Eagle. It's an 8086, which is exactly
like an 8088, except it fetches data 16
bits at a time. Second, although ours
came with only 128K bytes' worth of
memory chips, the Eagle has sockets
for 512K bytes of memory. You don't
need to use up a bus slot to get it,
either; those sockets are on the main
board.
Alex called California Digital and
ordered a slew of 64K-byte memory
chips. Since they're 64K-byte by 1-bit
memory, you need eight such chips
for each 64K bytes of memory you're
adding. However, both the Z-100 and
the IBM PC require nine chips for
each 64K bytes of added memory.
This is because they do parity check-
ing, a form of memory test, and thus
need the extra memory to store the
parity bits in. The Eagle doesn't do
parity checking. Anyway, Alex
ordered 20 memory chips, enough to
put in 128K bytes of additional
memory and bring the Eagle up to
256K bytes (plus a few spares).
[Last-minute notes: Eagle tells me
it did a lot of work on parity check-
ing and found that it decreases the
overall reliability by 15 percent. The
company decided it was better not to
do it.]
Then the Eagle software people
called. They'd tried Pascal/MT+86 in
a system with 512K bytes of memory
and still got "Out of Memory" errors.
It seems those odd formatting
characters in Eaglewriter, plus the
lack of linefeeds, fool MT + 86 into
believing you're trying to compile one
enormous statement.
However, there's a remedy. If,
when you save your file under
Eaglewriter, you add "/l" after the
filename, the format characters are
stripped out, and linefeeds are add-
ed after each carriage return. That's
known as an undocumented feature.
68 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 285 on inquiry card.
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$ 45
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t'upyrii.'li! mimlsoI-TWARK \m:\
BYTE January 1984 69
Alas, the Eagle is just loaded with un-
documented features. It's a wonder-
ful machine, and the documents are
just great if all you want to do is run
Eaglewriter and Eaglecalc, but ye
gods they're incomplete if what you
want is to understand the system.
Anyway, if you use the II option,
the result is a normal ASCII file that
compiles nicely. It would even have
compiled with the original memory
available. On the other hand,
Pascal/MT + 86 will use as much
memory as the machine has
available, and the more you have, the
faster things go. Best to have a lot,
thought Alex, and when our memory
chips came from California Digital,
he put 16 of them in.
He swears he did it right. I wasn't
here, but I believe him. However,
when he turned on the machine, it
wouldn't talk to the keyboard. The
IBM PC runs a memory check every
time you turn it on, so if you have a
lot of memory you can go get coffee
while the system comes up; but alas,
there's not even a voluntary memory-
GET
REAL 16 BIT
POWER
ill
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A SINGLE BOARD COMPUTER FEATURING THE
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256K Bytes of RAM plus 32K Bytes of
EPROM memory capacity on board
90 line expansion interface for more
memory and peripherals consist of 16
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Floppy disk controller can run the
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SASI port for hard disk controller
Two full function RS232G serial ports
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■ 8K of EPROM contains drivers for
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■ Bios for CP/M 86* supports 8", 5-1/4",
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H ; Board size 6" x 1 2" power ; WmM
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mmmm
test program for the Eagle. However,
when Alex replaced one of the
memory chips— the first one, for-
tunately, since it's very hard to get at
the memory while the machine is
sufficiently assembled to be in an
operative condition— things ran fine.
Since then we've had a couple of
glitches, none fatal, and we very
much wish we had some good
diagnostic programs.
On the other hand, the time that
the Eagle takes away with one hand,
it gives back with the other: it's fast .
You don't have to wait forever for pro-
grams to compile. It has a much nicer
keyboard than the PC. It has eight
IBM PC expansion slots in addition
to the empty memory sockets. It's a
great deal cheaper than a PC XT. It's
designed for multiple users (under
MP/M-86). I don't know whether it
runs Concurrent CP/M-86 right out
of the box, but it can't be hard to get
it running. (As I've said before, I
think Concurrent CP/M is the way to
go for PC machines.)
[Late update: the Eagle does have
memory tests. You hold down the
"T" key on power-up or reset. This
is yet another undocumented
feature.]
As I write this, they're working
hard at Eagle to update the
documents and revise some of the
software. I wish them well at it— but
I sure wish they'd hurry. The Eagle
is too good a machine to let the lack
of documents and software
developments spoil it.
Meanwhile, Marty and Dr. Cheryl
Chapman are collecting their notes
on what's wrong with the Eagle's
documents. By the time you read
this, we'll have written them up and
sent them in to the Eagle people,
who I'm pretty sure will make good
use of them.
Write Now . . .
While Tony Pietsch takes in the
Munich Oktoberf est, Noor Singh has
been doing the work at Proteus
Engineering and has now installed
and optimized Write for some 40 dif-
ferent 8080, 8085, and Z80 systems.
There's no 16-bit version yet, but it's
unlikely you have an 8-bit machine,
terminal, or printer that won't run
70 January T984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 325 on inquiry card.
BASF QUALIMETRIC FLEXYDlSKS!
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BASF Qualimetric FlexyDisks feature a unique lifetime warranty* firm
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You can count on BASF FlexyDisks because the Qualimetric
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Circle 39 on inquiry card.
ENTER TOMORROW ON BASF TODAY
c 1983 BASF Systems Corp., Bedford, MA
BASF
A conventional
portable computer
isn't so portable.
How we designed the H>
for pi
Our first step was to remember how a
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A person isn't designed to carry a
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IBM is a registered trademark oi International Business Machines Corp
A conventional portable
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>erion personal computer
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without a person ever picking up the receiver.
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But no matter what we say about the
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For the dealer nearest you call
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call 1-800-267-1002 orl-613-226-7255.
so registered trademark o f By)«c-Comlerm Inc.
nypui r^i i
You'll never look at computers
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Circle 50 on Inquiry card.
FO
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Portable or desktop,
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us at 31324 Via Colinas,
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(213) 991-1144 or (800)
, 621-6746 toll-free. Telex
H 658212 WSLK, in Europe
76066 CDS NL.
© Corona Data Systems 1983. 1. TM International
Business Machines. 2. TM Microsoft. 3. TM
Comprehensive Software Support. 4. TM Softword
Systems. 5. TM University of California.
* corona
data systems, inc.
74 BYTE January 1984
Circle 114 on inquiry card.
with Write. For instance, he's figured
out a way to reverse scrolling on the
VT-100, which everyone told us wasn't
possible, or at least not simple, since
the VT-100 doesn't have an in-
sert/delete line.
While I was at CP/M East, Charles
Stevenson, chief programmer for
Micropro, told me he's been having
some problems with modern dot-
matrix printers, because many of
them don't do superscripts and
subscripts by scrolling the paper up
and down, but actually write little
bitty letters and numbers in the ap-
propriate places. Wordstar doesn't
like that.
Neither did Write, but Noor Singh
has found a way to make Write work
fine with the new Epson FX-80
printer. We've now got Write on all
the Kaypro machines, the Otrona,
and the Z-100 (under CP/M-80). It
runs with the Telewidget (Televideo)
terminals, the Z-29, and the Lobo
Max-80. Barry Workman and Noor
Singh are installing it on the Osborne
1 and the Epson QX-10 (two versions,
one for the Valdocs keyboard, the
other for their nonstandard CP/M
Teletype-layout keyboard). It runs on
nearly all printers, serial and parallel.
Write will be supplied as part of the
software package (along with Super-
writer, Supercalc, and some other
stuff) with new Compupro com-
puters. Other versions, including
those for older Compupro machines,
will be marketed by Workman and
Associates.
The Printer Install program will
come with any version of Write that
you buy. Workman's present market
plan is to restrict the Terminal Install
programs supplied, so if you order
Write, be sure and tell the company
what kind of machine and what kind
of terminal you want Write for. I
presume the company will have a
reasonable policy regarding updates
if a purchaser wants to change
terminals.
Sweet-P
We got our Sweet-P plotter some
time ago, along with a care package
to make it work with the IBM PC.
There was also a support pack for the
Kaypro machines. Our Kaypro
machines have been under intense
use, and there wasn't any real reason
to hang a plotter on one anyway. We
did budget space for the Sweet-P at
the desk where we intend to set up
our IBM PC.
Alas, the PC hasn't arrived, and the
Sweet-P sits in lonely splendor
waiting for a computer.
That's a real pity, because the
Sweet-P is one heck of a machine.
There is close competition, but none
so vigorously supported and
advertised.
We were curious how hard the
machine was to use; Alex got to play
with one on a Kaypro at a graphics
show. You can use LPRINT
statements from within MBASIC to
run the Sweet-P. For legends and
titles, you don't have to specify each
letter stroke; the plotter has a built-
in character set. Character size and
print direction can be changed, too.
Sweet-P has changeable pens; you
have to change them yourself, but
that keeps the price (of this model)
down. Sweet-P currently connects as
IBM PC-8087SUPP0RT FROM MICROWARE
SyFORTRAN/RTOS™ is a MicroWare
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subset I/O is supported including Internal and
External Files and List Directed I/O.
87FORTRAN/RTOS uses the Intel large
memory model, allowing data/code structures
which utilize the full megabyte. The compiler
provides direct access to 8088 ports and
supports logical operations on 8 and 1 6 bit
operands normally treated in assembly
language. It is ideal for large applications which
are number intensive or control hardware.
87PASCAURTOS™ is Intel's ISO
Standard Pascal with 8087-8088 exceptions.
These make it possible to use all the 8087 data
types directly, while generating modules in one
of the three Intel Memory Models.
87FORTRAN/RTOS and
87PASCAI7RTOS include RTOS and
support for one year. each $1 350
PC TECH JOURNAL REVIEW:
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87 BASIC™ includes patches to the IBM
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87 MACRO™ - our complete 8087 software
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decoding and conversions $150
PLM-86 with RTOS $1 1 00
RTOS™ — Real Time Multi-Tasking Operating System
RTOS is a MicroWare configured version of iRMX-86, InteJ's legendary operating system. It in-
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instructions $375
MATRIXPAK™ manages a MEGABYTE!
Written in assembly language, our runtime
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MicroWare 87MACRO, 87BASIC, and RTOS
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87/88GUIDE - an excellent tutorial on
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compilers. Full of code that runs! $30
MICROSOFT FORTRAN 3.13
MICROSOFT PASCAL 3.1 3 These
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MICROSOFT C COMPILER
includes Lattice C and the MS Librarian. .$399
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SuperSoft Fortran 340
SSS 8087 Support 50
SuperSoft Voice Drive 895
87BASIC+ 75
TRACE86 Utility 1 25
Microsoft Business Basic Compiler 495
Computer I nnovations C86 345
STSC APL*PLUS/PC 545
64K QUADRAM 31 9
Sandstar WS2 Hard Disk System 1 355
Novation 212 SmartCat 495
HALO Graphics call
Energraphics call
Circle 255 on inquiry card.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 75
"I built this 16-bit
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a Centronics printer; the serial option
will be available soon. If you want to
use both the plotter and your printer
from the same Centronics port, Enter
Computer will soon sell you a "Split-
P" printer switch. (I get the feeling
that we have not heard the last bad
pun product name from these
people. . . .)
More PC Stuff
Ada, for the tiny few who don't
know, is the Department of Defense
all-purpose computer language, and
whatever its merits or lack thereof,
knowing Ada is a sure guarantee of
a job for years to come. Despite some
claims to the contrary by companies
that ought to know better, there is no
complete Ada compiler for a micro
system. However, there are healthy
subsets up and running.
The best of these, for my money, is
Janus Ada from RR Software. The
company now has floating point for
its PC-compatible version (both PC-
DOS and CP/M-86 operating
systems), provided that you have an
8087 chip in your system. RR has also
cleaned up its documents a bit; they
always were well organized.
I can't check out the latest version,
since IBM has kept my money all »
these months without shipping me
a machine; but I have run RR's earlier
versions, which certainly work. Janus
will compile itself, sure proof that
you can write complex programs in
this subset of Ada. I have high con-
fidence in RR, and I have yet to hear
of a more complete Ada compiler that
will run on a microcomputer.
RR, otherwise known as Randy
and Isaac, is another good example
of what hard work and ingenuity can
accomplish. The two started quite
literally in a garage, and the West
Coast Computer Faire was their first
show; now they've about reached the
takeoff point.
Simplifying My Life
I like small computers. I don't sup-
pose there are too many readers who
doubt that. However, they can sure
use up a lot of time, and time is the
one commodity we don't have
mouldering piles of here at Chaos
Manor, so I'm always looking for
76 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 182 on inquiry card.
step into the future...
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COHERENT is a trade mark of Mark Williams Co. UNIX is a trade mark of Bell Laboratories. IBM PC and IBM XT are trade marks of International Business Machines Corporation.
Circle 267 on inquiry card. BYTE January 1984 77
LOG 1983 Volume
One
Phone
Rhodes, Eli
• •
161
Rick Foss
Travel agent
33
Roth, Jennifer
.
70
Rotow
Fortune Systems
25
Salzer f Shirin
Bellingham
91
Seelig
CTI
48
Seitz
.
95
Slicer
.
170
Smelev, Sev
.
5
Smith, Bar Ian
.
166
Space Initiative
50
50
Sperry, lyler
.
139
Sperry, Tyler
113
113
Spinrad
.
16
Still, Joe
.
91
Tanden
.
174
Topol
Russian emigre
118
Van Brink, Herb
AROO
93
Z-100
Pascal - Ludwig
103
Zenith
Ingi sh
48
Program
BIOS
• > •
149
BIOS
diddle
156
Characters
generator
31
Diddle
.
12
Diddle
concatenate string fields
17
Diddle
Fns of other cpdata
10
t<DB
parameters - strings
106
MDB
REVISE - discussion
13
MDB
sort/merge
105
Nanies
Spear carriers
30
Parse
notes
115
Parser
•
116
Relativism
Stine on aliens
•
40-41
Suits
Notes
Kosmo etc
34-37
Table 1: An example page from Jerry's
index.
ways to use these machines to buy
me more time.
One thing that eats time is the
telephone. It isn't just the time on the
telephone; it's finding the messages
and phone numbers and all the
detritus from phone calls. I long ago
learned that anything written on
loose paper vanishes into the swim,
so I keep a bound log book with page
numbers.
One of the most valuable com-
modities a writer can have is a good
idea. Those, too, get lost if not writ-
ten down. I get some of my best ones
while running, when I can't make
notes, so I carry a tiny tape recorder
and dictate; then when I get home I
can transcribe those notes. I used to
keep special books just for that, but
it became impossible to find
anything, so all that goes into the log
with the phone calls.
So far, so good, but I use up two
or three of those logs each year; and
how the devil can I find a phone
number, or an idea, from several
years back? After about the hun-
dredth time I found myself thumbing
through old logbooks, I had an idea.
What I needed was an index to the
logs. It seemed a simple enough pro-
gram to write.
The log books aren't machine-
readable. I've had to go through them
one at a time and enter the data (and
I have to do it since no one else can
interpret my cryptic notes); but it
takes only about half an hour to do
a whole book, and once done it's
done forever. I have my index
organized under three headings:
"Major," "Minor," and "Subminor,"
which, if not original, is at least clear.
The output prints on paper (see
table 1) and can be pasted into the
front of the log book. It organizes the
stuff in a hierarchy, with the Major
headings (things like "Do," "Phone
Numbers," "People," "Ideas") on the
left. The Minor categories include
"Programs" (under "Do," of course),
people's names for the phones and
addresses (with cross-entries for who
they are or what they do or where I
met them). Subminor is mostly
notes. Then on the far right side of
the index is the page.
Once the entries are made (as I
said, about half an hour per log
book), the program automatically
sorts them, starting with the Sub-
minor, then Minor, and finally Major
headings, so that all the names are in
alphabetical order within the
"Phone" category, and that sort of
thing. This gets printed and put in
the book, and I can even do it
periodically for the current log so I'm
not always thumbing through it.
Saves no end of time.
Another thing the index program
does is remember just what log book
this is: that is, 1983-1, 1979-3, etc.
Another part of the program will
combine index entries from different
books. The result is that I have an
enormous index that lets me find
stuff running all the way back to 1978
when I began the log-book system (or
will when I get through entering 1978
and 1979).
There's nothing all that wonderful
about my scheme, and doubtless
there are better ways to organize log
books, but this works for me. The
nice part is that the whole program
didn't take more than a couple of
hours to write. A story goes with
that.
A long time ago I wrote a
'Minimum Data Base" (MDB), which
is a quick and dirty program for
organizing telephone numbers, ad-
dresses, recipes, thoughts, characters
in books, and the like. It has a good
SORT routine built into it. When I
decided to do this program, I realized
that MDB had nearly all the
mechanisms I needed for my index
routine.
78 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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Name
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GIFFORD COMPUTER SYSTEMS □ San Leandro, CA (415) 895-0798 D San Francisco, CA (415) 391-4570 □ Los Angeles, CA( 213) 477-3921
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Circle 170 on inquiry card.
MDB was originally written in
CBASIC. I later converted it to CB-80,
which was the first Compiled
CBASIC; but since CB-80 won't run
with CP/M 1.4, we kept the CBASIC
version around. Alas, CBASIC
doesn't have some of the nifty
features that Compiled CBASIC does
(such as checking for undeclared
variables, and really good functions).
Even so, we'd done a lot of the con-
version, and when I did the index
program I did some more. More im-
portant, though, when I began
writing programs, MacLean insisted
that I think about program structure
as I wrote them; and although MDB
isn't any model of structured pro-
gramming, it's a heck of a lot more
so than most old BASIC programs
were, which is why I was able in one
evening to write my index system.
Alas, it was while writing it that I
discovered a real bug in the newest
version of Compiled CBASIC.
That's Not a Bug, It's a Feature
When my late mad friend MacLean
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80 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 223 on inquiry card.
first talked me into trying my own
programming in BASIC, one of the
things that drove me nuts was the
"redimensioned array error." That is:
in early BASIC (and many late-model
versions for that matter) you must tell
the machine the size of any array, and
you must do that one and only one
time; any subsequent attempt to
change the array size gets the error
message.
When CBASIC, and later Compiled
CBASIC (otherwise known as CB-80
and CB-86), first came out, a major
feature was dynamic array dimension-
ing, i.e., you could dimension any ar-
ray as often as you wanted to. There
are lots of advantages to this. It saves
memory and frustrations.
Of course, any data in the array will
be lost if you redimension it. That's
only to be expected. Alas, it isn't
automatically lost; that is, if you have
string variables stored in an array and
redimension it, the strings are still
out there in memory, only now
there's no way to get at them, not
even to erase them. Some versions of
BASIC have a "garbage collection 7 '
feature, which is a little subprogram
that every now and then goes
through memory to see if there are
lost strings it can erase to reclaim
memory. Some don't.
With Compiled CBASIC, according
to the instructions, you have to do
something nonintuitive to get rid of
those strings:
1. Declare a string variable. Say
NULU, for example.
2. Never define that variable. (I
presume the default is "", but the
documents never say.)
3. Set each element of the string ar-
ray equal to NULL$.
4. Dimension the array to 0.
5. Redimension the array to the new
value.
That's complicated, but you can see
that it saves the compiler a lot of
work. Alas, there's no way for you to
get out of doing your part of that
work. Compiled CBASIC has really
excellent functions, comparable in
some ways to Pascal functions and
procedures, but you cannot pass an
array to one of them as a parameter.
Circle 463 on Inquiry card. »
WASHINGTON (UPI) — The U.S. Air Force/NASA have
developed an experimental spacecraft given the title XTM. Due
to the vague description as to the design or purpose of the XTM,
the press is still in the dark about many aspects of the craft or
its intended mission. It has been discovered, however, that at
I least three pilots have been lo st i^theciir r ent flight t estin g pro-
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THE BUFFER DID II
Who Stole The 1500 Letters
From The Computer?
Let's just say you've got to
send a letter to 1500 different
people. Would you like to
spend 22.5 hours* or
60 seconds of
**
i?
&
*?
^\tf
sP
y
computer
time?
With \
a garden-
variety
buffer, the
computer has
to mix, merge
and send 1500
addresses and 1500
buffer. Trouble is, most buffers
only store about 32 letters. So after
32 letters, the computer's down
until the printer's done. Altogether,
you're talking 22.5 hours.
In the case of our new (not to
mention amazing)
** there s , ShuffleBuffer,
that 's turr^~, 1 computer time
letters to the
"KiilU
turned
tonut* ^
IriQs n
diarvt
Cic% t*
Vou'd
iove
my w
is 60
seconds
flat.
Just give
ShuffleBuffer one form letter and
your address list, and it takes care
of the mixing, the merging, and the
printing. But that's not all
ShuffleBuffer's stolen from the
computer. Oh, no.
Who Changed and
Rearranged The Facts?
Again, ShuffleBuffer's
the culprit. You want
to move para-
graph #1
down
where
#3 is?
Want
to add a
chart or
picture? No
problem. No mystery, either. Any
buffer can give you FIFO, basic
first-in, first-out printing. And some
ps*. m w
.. •:
&
<$P
buffers offer By-Pass; the ability to
interrupt long jobs for short ones.
But only ShuffleBuffer has what we
call Random Access Printing — the
brains to move stored information
around on its way to the printer.
Something only a computer could
do before. Comes in especially
handy if you do lots of printing.
Or lengthy manuscripts
Or voluminous green
and white spread
sheets. And by the
way, ShuffleBuffer
does store up to
128K of information
and gives you a
By-Pass mode, too.
And Who Spilled The
Beans 239 Times?
Most buffers can't
tell the printer to
duplicate. If they can,
they only offer a
start/stop switch,
which means you're
the one who has to
count to 239. Turn
your back on your
buffer, and your
printer might shoot out
a room full of copies.
ShuffleBuffer, however,
does control quantity.
Tell it the amount, and
it counts the copies.
By itself.
So, What's The Catch?
There isn't any.
Sleuth
around.
You won't
find another
buffer that's as slick a
character as this one.
You also won't find one that's
friendly with any parallel or serial
computer/printer combination.
This is the world's only universal
buffer.
With a brain.
Who Wants You To Catch
A ShuffleBuffer In Action?
You guessed it. We do. Just go to
your local computer dealer and ask
him to show you a ShuffleBuffer at
^ work. Or, you can call us
T$P* & at (215) 667-1713, and
(5^ we'll clue you in on
^ all the facts directly.
iSf»
\5*
,«*
* Based
on an average
4000 character letter
& 128K buffer.
^ShuffleBuffer
Th
The Buffer with a Brain
Interactive Structures Inc.
146 Montgomery Avenue
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
82 BYTE January 1984
Circle 192 on inquiry card.
If you could, it would be easy to write
a "Kill String Array" function to do
all that. Oh, well.
The problem comes when you
forget and never dimension the array in
the first place. Unlike Microsoft
BASIC, CBASIC has no default array
size. It doesn't even default to 0! The
result is a terrible bug in your
program.
If you leave an undimensioned ar-
ray in a Compiled CBASIC program,
the compiler won't find it. Your pro-
gram will compile fine. It will run,
too, until you try to do something
with that array, at which point the
whole system goes off into the land
of lost bits. There's no error message.
However, nothing whatever is hap-
pening, and nothing you can do
(other than to reset the machine) has
any effect. This can be frustrating,
and indeed it took me half an hour
to figure out what had gone wrong
with a simple modification to my
Minimum Data Base.
I suppose it's not too high a price
to pay for dynamic redimensioning,
but it's sure frustrating if you don't
think of it.
Actually, it's worse than that.
There's no range checking in Com-
piled CBASIC, meaning that if you
exceed the boundaries of an array,
you don't get the "Subscript out of
Bounds" error you'd expect. It just
hangs up the machine so that you
have to reset. That is too high a price
to pay.
Example:
REM A program to test arrays
Integer i,j
Real a(2)
Dim A(2,2)
FOR i = 1 TO 3
FOR j = 1 TO 2
MM) - i + )
Print "Watch it crash"; A(i,j)
NEXT
NEXT
This will hang up as soon as the
boundary of the array is exceeded.
However, it hasn't told you why; it
just stops the machine. This is
enough to drive you crazy and is a
real fault in Compiled CBASIC. Bet-
ter you should use Modula-2, and I
Circle 104 on inquiry card. «^— ►
IBM • APPLE • FRANKLIN • OSBORNE • KAYPRO •
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»
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Vista Multicard64K 269
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PC Modem Pius ,309
TandonTM 100-2.. .,,,.235
CDC Disk Drive OS/DO ..,.247
Disk Controller by Maynard 1 57
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NEC 1201 .157
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Microbufler (In line 32KS) 219
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o
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NOTE: This is only a selected
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inventory. If we have not listed
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we will get it for you at our
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We carry all software for
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$125.95
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MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTS FOR ALL COMPUTERS
EPD Lemon .... $ 49.00 EPD Peach .... $ 79.00
EPD Lime $ 74.00 EPD Hawk .... $159.00
EPD Orange . . . $115.00
MODEMS
U.S. Robotics-Phone Link $159.00
U.S. Robotics-Micro Link 300 $199.00
U.S. Robotics-Auto Link 300 $229.00
U.S. Robotics-Micro Link 1200 $379.00
U.S. Robotics-Auto Link 1200 $419.00
U.S. Robotics-Auto Link212A $459.00
U.S. Robotics- Auto Dial 212A $499.00
U.S. Robotics-Password $379.00
U.S. Robotics-Courier $435.00
U.S. Robotics-Tulpac $ 69.00
Signalman-Mark I RS232 $ 79.00
Signalman-Mark II Atari 850 $ 79.00
Signalman-Mark III T1994/A $105.00
Signalman-Mark IV Comm. PET/CBM $126.00
Signalman-Mark V Osborne $ 97.00
Signalman-Mark VI IBM PC $209.00
Signalman-Mark VII RS 232 (Auto-Dial) $119.00
Signalman-Mark XII 1200 Baud $279.00
Novation-Apple Cat II $289.00
Novation-Cat $135.00
Novation-D-Cat . . $155.00
Novation-J-Cat $109.00
Novation-212 Auto Cat 5499.00
Novatton-Smartcat 103 $179.00
Novation-Smartcat 103/212 $429.00
Novation-Applecat 212 $549.00
Hayes-Smartmodem 300 $219.00
Hayes-Smartmodem 1200 $499.00
Hayes-Smartmodem 1200B $439.00
Hayes-Micromodem liE w/Smartcom II $239.00
Hayes-Smartcom li $ 85.00
'Refunds on modems only if D.O.A. Be sure you know
what modem you need before you buy.
**••**•***••***
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^ Star-Micronics ^
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$289.00
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PRINTERS
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Star Microntcs
Gemini-10X (120CPS) $ 299
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Okldata
Okidata-82A . $ 389
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Tractor Feed (82+92) $ SO
Play-N-Plug (82 + 83) $30.59
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Play-N-Plug (84) $81.18
Mannesmann Tally-160L Call
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C. ITHO
Prowriter l-PAR $ 379
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Letter Quality
TTX-1014 $ 529.00
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Printmaster $1449.00
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Label rate quoted at lime or order • All prices subject to change without notice • Telephone Order Desk Hours: 8 AM to 6PM, Monday through
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84 BYTE January 1984
lephone number • COD
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WAREHOUSE
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QuadboardMullif unction Board
Full Expandability From 64K to 256K
Par. Printer Port, Ser. Port, c'c
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Quadlink-Apple On A Card S
Microfazer Printer Spooler
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Why Wait For Your Printer S
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One Ser., One Par,, c/c $
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Clock Cal, 1 Ser. Port S
STB
"Super-Rio" Card 64K-256K.
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1st Mate S Call
Graphics Master Call
2nd Mate S Call
APPARAT
Ram Card 64K-512K $ Call
P:om Blaster Call
AMDEK
Multiple Adaptor Interface $ Call
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Color Plus S Call
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Enhanced Word Processing Keyboard
Model KB5150 $ Call
KRAFT
Joystick $ 46.00
Paddles $ 35.00
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Paddles $ 29,00
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Tablet $109.00
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ORANGE MICRO
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Buffered Grappler $ 189.00
MICROTEK
RV-611C Par. Interface . . , S 63.00
SV-622C Ser. Interface S Call
Apple Dumpling 16K , . $ Call
BAM 16K Ram Expandable $ 73.00
MICROSOFT
16K Ram Expandable $ 75.00
Softcard S 228.00
Softcard Premium Pak S 459.00
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Smarterm II 80 Col Card S 129.00
VIDEX
Ultraterm . S 251.00
Videoterm 80 Col Card S 1 85.00
PSI'O Card S 152.00
KENSINGTON
System Saver S 72.00
KRAFT
Joystick $ 48.00
Game Paddles $ 35.00
T&G
Joystick $ 43.00
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Trak-Ball $ 47.00
PRACTICAL PERIPHERALS
Micro-Buffer II 16K S 159.00
INTERACTIVE STRUCTURES
Pkaso Printer Interface $ 145.00
KOALA
Tablet S 89.00
NO CREDIT CARD FEE
Princeton Graphics HX-12 RGB
NEC
JB-1201 12" Green-Hi Res
JB-1260 12" Green
JC-1203 RGB
JB-1205 12" Amber
JC-1215 12" Composite Color .
AMDEK
300G 12" Green
300A 12" Amber .
310A IBM Compatible .
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Amdek-Amdisk I 3 " (Apple) $ 259.00 I
Amdek-Amdisk III $ 475.00
Amdek-Amdisk V 5vi" Half Heights 249.00
Vista-Vl200 6MB Disk Pack System
(Apple)
CDC-5V4 " DS/DD 320K
Tandon-TM 100-2 5V» " DS/DD 320K
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Rana-Elite I .
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BYTE January 1984 85
intend to convert all my programs
from CB-80 to Modula-2 as soon as
possible.
JRT Pascal Yet Again
[Editor's Note: Alas. At press time, BYTE
was notified that JRT Systems (45- Camino
Alto, Mill Valley, CA 94941) had filed for
chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 18, 1983.
This is not a complete liquidation, but a "re-
organization." We thought the JRT delivery-
problem saga had come to a conclusion in the
April 1983 BYTE (see "Open Correspondence
on JRT Pascal," Letters, page 18). Shortly
thereafter, the number of complaints began to
slow down—but scattered grousing continued.
In any event, the slow delivery of the $29.95
software deal of the century most likely will
be slowed down even more. ]
I'm getting weary of the accusation
that I've said bad things about JRT
Pascal because the BYTE advertising
staff pressures me on behalf of
publishers who charge a great deal
more than JRT's $29.95.
For the record: I have never heard
one word from the BYTE advertising
staff suggesting that I make any
modifications in my column
whatever, and the only time the
editorial staff asked me to change
something was because they feared
a lawsuit. On that one occasion, I
modified one sentence, and even
then I retained the substance of my
remarks, changing only the tone.
Blame me for my columns, or blast
me for my opinions, but do not ac-
cuse me of petty cowardice.
I reviewed one of the 2.x versions
of JRT Pascal, and I was not im-
pressed. Since then I have received
many letters from users concerning
version 3.0, and the consensus is that
if you can get version 3.0 you will like
it.
Flat statement: JRT Pascal version
3.0 is a bargain at $29.95. Qualifica-
tions: it's a bargain in comparison to
a lot of stuff on the market, and its
value depends in good part on what
you intend to do with it. If what you
want is a fast-compiling nonstandard
p-code language that works quite
well and has no more anomalies than
languages selling for 10 times the
price, by all means send in your
$29.95. You must then be prepared to
wait, but the odds are reasonable that
you'll eventually get more than your
money's worth.
Indeed, as a language for writing
real programs intended for the CP/M
2.x operating system, JRT Pascal is
considerably better than "real" Pas-
cal. If I had to write a number of rea-
sonably sized programs, and I in-
tended to stay with the CP/M 2.x
operating system and not transfer the
programs to anything else, I might
well choose JRT Pascal as the lan-
guage to write them in.
If I wanted to get some idea of the
flavor of Pascal, and I didn't want to
spend much money, I'd certainly get
JRT Pascal 3.0.
JRT Pascal 3.0 has fixed most— not
all, but most— of the bugs that
plagued the earlier versions. As a
programming language, it's com-
parable to Sorcim's Pascal/M in both
ease of use and speed of compilation.
The execution speed is comparable to
any other p-code (intermediate code)
Pascal, including UCSD Pascal. Like
Pascal/M (but unlike UCSD Pascal),
there's no integration of editor and
compiler, but of the three, I'd about
as soon use JRT Pascal as either of the
others for production work.
The bugs that are left are, according
to my correspondents, fairly
harmless or very subtle. Since the
professor who (in a letter praising JRT
Pascal) spoke of the "subtle" bugs
didn't tell me what they were, I can
only guess at what he meant. One
bug I found was a failure to compile
a program because it had the follow-
ing line:
{a comment} (*another comment*)
which was intended to illustrate the
principle that you could use either
kind of comment marker in a Pascal
program. Standard Pascal (including
both Pascal/M and Pascal/MT + ) will
compile that, since standard Pascal
doesn't recognize physical lines.
There are other nonstandard
features to JRT Pascal. For example,
in the case above, the compiler didn't
even attempt to work on the pro-
gram; it simply told me there was an
"unclosed comment." That is not a
standard Pascal error message.
Another JRT problem can be
caused by multilayed procedure
nesting and indirect recursion. Most
users won't find this a problem.
JRT Pascal does not format
numbers in the same way as either
Pascal/M or Pascal/MT + (which don't
format them the same way either).
Thus, the same program will have a
different output depending on which
compiler you use,
I deliberately took out some
semicolons in a JRT 3.0 program. The
compiler dutifully reported '";' ex-
pected". Alas, the standard Pascal er-
ror messages are "Error #6 Illegal
symbol (possibly missing ";" on line
above)" and "Error #14 ';' expected
(possibly on line above)." Perhaps the
JRT error reporting system is better
than Niklaus Wirth's, but it isn't the
same.
JRT is worth playing with. It's
cheap for the compiler alone, and
you get a bunch of useful utilities
with it. As I've said many times, I like
the price, and I wish other publishers
would drop their prices to something
reasonable. JRT has a lot of satisfied
users. Indeed, it may in many ways
be more useful than "real" Pascal.
However, that doesn't make JRT into
standard Pascal.
In addition, JRT Systems got far
more orders than it was geared up to
fill. I have lots of letters from readers
who ordered JRT Pascal and received
nothing, neither software nor
acknowledgment of order, for
months. Sarah Smith, of Lisp
Machine Inc., sent in an order in
December, had the check cashed in
January, got an acknowledgment of
order in March, had them refuse to
check the order in May, complained
in June, and in August received a
form letter stating that it couldn't find
the order and wanted a copy of
canceled check or bank-card Ml. (The
form letter offered to refund the
money once proof of payment was
furnished.)
Ms. Smith, like me, is a profes-
sional; the time it would take to get
a copy of canceled check or bank-card
bill would chop pretty deeply into the
bargain value of JRT Pascal.
Thus, fair warning: JRT Pascal 3.0
works and has enthusiasts I respect.
The manual is well written, and there
86 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
n $*
.
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M THE BEGINNING
THERE WERE SPREADSHEETS...
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there should.
In fact, there is! If s Profin™
MATCHING THE TOOL TO THE JOB.
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In the beginning, spreadsheets were great. At
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I
I
I
I
I
J
are a lot of goodies that come with
the program. However, if you order
the program and don't get delivery,
do not complain to BYTE or to me.
Just be patient, and keep trying.
Eventually you'll get satisfaction. At
least you can continue to hope so.
I've heard that Mr. Tyson of JRT
Systems is working on a Modula-2
compiler. I wish him well at it, but I
do hope he'll pay more attention to
the language standards than he did
with his Pascal.
[Late addition: Borland's Turbo
Pascal, for $49.95, is standard, pro-
duces native code (rather than p-
code), and has a built-in editor. More
next month, but it looks pretty good.]
BDS C
BDS C is a healthy subset of the C
programming language. It uses some
nonstandard library implementa-
tions; in that sense, it has some
similarities to JRT Pascal.
The remarkable thing about BDS C
was that it could be done at all; before
Leor Zolman wrote his compiler,
there was no C language for the 8085
or Z80 machines; at least, nothing
that compiled in reasonable time and
had most of the features of real C.
Once Zolman showed that it could be
done, a number of other outfits got
into the act.
Zolman has a new version, 1.5a, of
his C compiler. This one works only
BDS C's major
advantage is that it
compiles faster than
any other 8-bit C
compiler and finds
most trivial errors in
seconds-
with CP/M 2.x; anyone still running
CP/M 1.4 can't use it.
There is an improved floating-point
package. Source code for most library
routines is provided. The documents
have been somewhat improved, but
fair warning: the BDS C documents
are not an introduction to the C
language. You'll need both Kernighan
and Ritchie (The C Programming
Language) and some other good in-
troductory book if you don't know
how to use C.
There's a good index and a fair but
improvable table of contents. The in-
structions for using BDS C, assum-
ing you know something about pro-
gramming in the C language, are
clear.
BDS C's major advantage is that it
compiles fast; faster than any other
8-bit C compiler. Furthermore, it
finds most trivial errors in seconds.
It's not the lowest-priced C compiler
on the market, since Q/C is $99. At
$130 postpaid (from Workman and
Associates), though, it's still a
bargain.
In addition, there's a debugger, a
library manager, and other goodies.
There's a good overlay or "swapping"
system so that you can write and run
really big programs in BDS C. BDS
C purchasers are encouraged to join
the BDS C User's Group; the User's
Group distributes a lot of interesting
Graphics Plus
■-<• . r _>- v- «">.- y .
GRAPHICS-PLUS is a field installable enhancement board for
the popular Zenith 1 Z19 video terminal adding many power-
ful features found only on terminals costing much more.
GRAPHICS-PLUS provides Tektronix 2 4010 compatible vector
drawing graphics, VT100 3 compatible 80 and 132 column
display- formats, off-screen scrolling memory, program-
mable function keys, ,l Plain English" menu-driven Set-up
mode, and a host of other enhancements. Installation can be
accomplished within 15 minutes using only a screwdriver.
GRAPHICS-PLUS
an enhancement
For Z1 9 Terminals
from
Northwest Digital Systems
. • Tektronix 2 4010 Compatible Graphics
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v 80/132 Col and 24/49 Line Text Displays
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Menu-driven "Plain English" Set-up Mode
• 16 Programmable Keys- 128 Chars Each
Optional Hardcopy Port
^ Simple Field Installation 1 ™ Zenith .
GP- 19 Upgrade for Z19 Terminal $ 849
Z1 9 Terminal With GP- 1 9 Installed $ 1 495
Northwest Digital Systems
P.O. Box 15288, Seattle, WA 981 15 [206] 362-6937
88 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 269 on inquiry card.
Score another
first forACE.
A lot of people who've never 4
heard of ACE s impressive record
of firsts in multiprocessing are about
to sit up and take notice. Why?
It's our latest wonder: Multipro-
cessor CP/M Plus?
ACE has developed a linkup be-
tween its powerful multiuser micro-
computer, the Discovery, and the
fastest and most powerful version
of CP/M* ever marketed.
The result is a multiprocessor that
does more than just emulate CP/M
or rely on a lesser operating system
that's "CP/M compatible." It
actually delivers pure CP/M (either
CP/M-86* or CP/M Plus) to any of
Discovery's up to 16 on-line users.
With easy command line editing,
quick file accessing through user-
defined automatic search paths and
comprehensive "help menus," CP/M
Plus is as friendly as they come —
and with big performance extras.
Like large files, directory hashing,
data buffering, time and date
stamping, and an extensive utility
set that can accept English words.
All of which means that ACE's
linkup with CP/M Plus will
continue to give Discovery owners
access to the largest selection of
applications software in the world
for years to come.
That's something to think about.
Because who wants a multiuser
system that's friendly and powerful
today but unfriendly tomorrow
when new software using CP/M
Multiprocessor
CP/M Plus:
Plus features hits the scene?
Our latest triumph is just one of a
line of firsts.
ACE pioneered multiprocessing
for microcomputers back in 1979
when we introduced a Discovery
featuring what was then the
revolutionary concept of dedicating
a CPU to each on-line user.
Two years later, we moved
further ahead of the pack with our
next singular feat: the first user-
processor on a single board, the
dpc-180? Everything was there:
memory, CPU, serial I/O.
Nice.
Which made our 1982
breakthrough — the amazing 16-bit
dpc-186? mated with CP/M-86 —
seem like business-as-usual to us
even though it caught the
competition flat-footed.
With room to grow from 128K to
1MB of expansion memory, and
designed for systems also using our
8-bit board, this breakthrough let
individual users tap into either 8- or
16-bit computing power with one
central Discovery unit.
And because each Discovery
system is controlled by our own
dpc/os* tried and proven in more
than 10,000 Discovery and OEM
installations around the world, any
user on line can take advantage of
interprocessor communication, file
and record locking, fully managed
multiple printers, private direc-
tories, plus many other features.
So what little wonder does ACE
have up its sleeve now? Stay tuned.
Because soon you'll hear the news
about our Concurrent CP/M-86*
which will give the owners of our
Discovery all the benefits of 16-bit
computing power, CP/M's compre-
hensive software selection, and
efficient multi-tasking capabilities.
So each user can get several projects
underway with a few quick taps on
the keyboard.
Meanwhile, it'll be business as
usual for ACE, keeping ahead of the
crowd while turning out the best
multiuser multiprocessor micro on
the market, backed by one of the
best nationwide service networks
you could hope for.
So if you're a computer dealer,
distributor, or systems house who
wants to join the group that scores
high with a multitude of users, just
give us a call at (800) 821-6596.
(In California, it's (213) 351-5451.)
And do us a small
favor. Tell us you've
heard of us.
The Multiprocessing Company.
£
Action Computer Enterprise, Inc. (Corporate Headquarters): 430 No. Halstead St., Pasadena, CA 91107. TWX 910-588-1201 ACTION PSD
ACE/Europe:Boschdijk 189, Box 1275, 5602 BG, Eindhoven, Netherlands, Tel. 040-452658, Telex 51767 ACE E NL ACE/Asia, G/Floor Lee Wah Mansion, 171-177 Hollywood Rd, Hong Kong,
Tel. 5-441692 or 5-442310, Telex 75332 PACIC HX Canada: Future Electronics, Inc., 237 Hymus Blvd., Pt. Claire, Quebec H9R5C7, Canada, Tel. (514) 694-7710, Telex 05-823554.
*CP/M Plus. CP/M, CP/M-86, and Concurrent CP/M-86 are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Digital Research, Inc. / *dpc-180 and dpc / os are registered trademarks of Action Computer Enterprise, Inc.
Serviced nationwide by Bell & Howell Company
Circle 11 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 89
PC PEACOCK
Brings Living Color
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Computing is dull in black and white. But it doesn't have to be.
PC PEACOCK brings the excitement of color to your IBM computer. Pictures, charts and graphs
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multicolor mode and high resolution monochrome mode enhance your display capabilities for
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And PC PEACOCK is convenient. Its parallel port allows you to connect a printer to your com-
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PC PEACOCK is designed to provide years of worry free performance and is backed with an
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So bring living color to your IBM PC, with the PC PEACOCK Color Graphics Adapter. PC PEACOCK
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For more information on all of MA System's IBM and Apple products, please call 01 write
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PC PEACOCK is a trademark ot MA Systems Inc
programs and utilities.
All in all, BDS C is a reasonably
priced way to get involved with the
C programming language, or even to
find out whether you really want to
learn it. In my view, C is more useful
on 16-bit machines, and I'm on record
as saying I think Modula-2 is a more
interesting language. On the other
hand, a lot of people don't agree with
me. You can certainly write some
useful programs in BDS C; one of the
most useful programs I own is a text
comparator that one of Leor's friends
wrote for me.
Once More, the Epson
When the Epson QX-10 computer
first came out, the company was still
evolving both hardware and soft-
ware. I had a very early model,
shipped long before Epson began
selling the machines, and there was
always some question of whether my
system was truly integrated, especial-
ly when I had some real problems
with the Valdocs software that comes
with it.
The people at Epson couldn't have
been nicer about it. The other day
they sent out a systems-program-
ming manager, who brought a new
machine straight out of stock. We
swapped.
I also have the new Valdocs soft-
ware, version 1.18, which has a
number of new features and is also
considerably faster than the old
Valdocs.
Alas, it doesn't have all the prom-
ised features of Valdocs, and ap-
parently it retains some un-
documented features as well.
Moreover, although the new Valdocs
is fast, it's not fast enough for me, my
wife, or my assistant. In particular, it
is not designed to be used as a
substitute for an office machine. It
simply takes too darned long to get
a business letter out using Valdocs.
Just getting the envelope addressed
can take a full minute or longer.
Moreover, the FX-80 printer that
came with the Epson QX-10 is not
designed for use with letterhead or
other single-sheet-feed paper. If you
use a Micro Peripherals Printmate 99
printer with the Epson, that will
solve one of the problems, but the
Valdocs software doesn't know how
to make use of the 99's best features,
so that's not so useful either.
Valdocs might not be so bad if you
use only tractor-feed paper, no let-
terhead, and you're mostly writing
documents, not letters. It does have
some good features, although you'd
better get used to being patient.
We're at the moment installing
Write on the Epson QX-10; we'll have
versions for both the Valdocs and the
regular Teletype-layout keyboards.
Write will, of course, run under
CP/M, not TPM and the Valdocs soft-
ware, and it won't have all the cross-
index features and other nifty con-
ceptions Valdocs attempts. Our pre-
sent version of Write probably won't
be able to take advantage of the bit-
mapped screen and other goodies
that the QX-10 hardware features.
We'll see.
Meanwhile, my opinion of the
QX-10 remains: the hardware is fine,
and if Epson ever gets software wor-
thy of it, it will have a nice little
machine. On the other hand, does
the industry need yet another Z80
computer for more than $2500,
especially if there's no software to
take advantage of the unique hard-
ware features of the QX-10? If Epson
had released the QX-10 with ap-
propriate software a year ago, it
would have been competitive; I don't
think it is now.
I've also seen no reason to change
my opinion about Valdocs: noble
idea, but too ambitious for the
machine. To get all the features
Valdocs offers, you need both a bit-
mapped screen (which the QX-10 has)
and a fast 16-bit or larger CPU (which
the QX-10 doesn't have). I've a great
deal of admiration for what was ac-
complished with Valdocs, but I can-
not in good conscience recommend
it to anyone who has actual produc-
tion work to perform. It's just too
darned slow.
There's one more difficulty.
Valdocs is slow in large part
because Epson wanted it to be user-
friendly; but alas, this wasn't even
managed completely. If you get disk
errors, Valdocs can report things like
Error 01 Disk B Retry Y/N?
Circle 375 on inquiry card.
Less
for lour
Money
If you do word processing on
your personal computer, you
probably know that there are
many programs for sale to help
you with your spelling. But the
biggest spelling error you'll ever
make is paying too much for your
spelling correction software. The
Random House ProofReader
gives you less for your money -
less trouble, that is, and fewer
spelling errors. The Random
House ProofReader is based on
the world famous Random House
Dictionary. It contains up to
80,000 words? depending on
your disk capacity. You can add
new words with the touch of a
key. It shows you the error and
the sentence it's in. It instantly
suggests corrections. It even re-
checks your corrections. And it
costs half as much as other
programs with far less power. The
Random House ProofReader is
compatible with all CP/M 2.2®,
MS-DOS® and IBM Personal
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the
f
The
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$50
For orders or information, see your
local dealer or call 505-281-3371.
Master card and VISA accepted. Or write
Random House ProofReader, Box 339- B,
Tijeras, NM 87059- Please enclose $50
and specify your computer model,
disk size and memory.
Random House and the House design are registered
trademarks of Random House, Inc. CP/M is a regis-
tered trademark of Digital Research, Inc. IBM and IBM
Personal Computerare registered trademarks of
International Business Machines, Inc. MS-DOS is a
registered trademark of Microsoft, Inc.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 91
"They're obviously not using the ETI Project Control System"
The ETI Project Control System
Helps you keep AH the pieces and
people In Place, On Time
and Within Budget
The ETI Project Control System is a
visual project management tool. It allows
the user to divide large, complex proj-
ects into individual tasks and operations.
Based on the proven CPM and PERT
methodologies, the ETI Project Control
System is available now and easy to use.
Compatible with IBM Personal Com-
puters*, it offers uncluttered displays,
extensive user flex- /♦% o rk r - **
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With a few keystrokes, the ETI Project
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to fit nearly any project. Each task may
include name, duration, capital cost, labor
cost, overhead cost, person(s) responsible,
manpower requirements or manpower mix,
amount completed, starting and ending
dates (including early and late dates) and
a narrative description.
In addition to the task chart, which
graphically shows task relationships and
sequence, the ETI Project Control System
features several management aiding dis-
plays. There are schedule charts that show
the critical path, scope and complexity
of the project. There are also personal
schedules for individuals or equipment,
assignment lists and charts that show
either budgeted or actual costs.
A change made in one chart is simul-
taneously made in all the charts. This
feature can quickly and graphically show
the schedule implications of any change
in the project plan.
The ETI Project Control System puts the
user in control. The information entered is
not subject to any pre-set program of analy-
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important and chooses the level of detail.
Better understanding and control
of complex projects is only one result of
using the ETI Project Control System. It
can also help find schedule threats and
test alternatives, or seek the best cost /time
tradeoffs. As a communications tool, the
Project Control System can be of great
benefit. All displays are "what you see is
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The ETI Project Control System can
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and if you hold down the "Y" key
very long, it will give the same
message a number of times, since
Valdocs features a large type-ahead
buffer.
You can also get "Error FF" and
other such cryptic messages. Now
agreed: that's no more mysterious
than the infamous "BDOS Error on
B: Bad Sector" or such like; but it's
certainly no less frightening to the
naive user, and if you learn CP/M's
error messages you've learned
something about CP/M and other
small machines. Learning what
"Error FF" is teaches you nothing
but Valdocs.
Conclusion: if you want yet
another Z80 CP/M machine, the
QX-10 will do, but there are probably
better deals pricewise. The unique
features of the QX-10 are im-
plemented only in Valdocs, but alas,
that's so slow that despite my en-
couraging him to use a computer (he
has an Osborne at home), my
editorial assistant prefers a Selectric
typewriter for just getting the work
done here.
I like the bit-mapped screen, which
lets boldface words appear on the
screen in boldface (as well as on the
output copy), and I like a lot of the
other features of the QX-10; if Epson
ever gets software worthy of the
machine, it'll have something really
great.
As of October 1983, it doesn't.
Rana
If this were a news column, this
item would have to be the lead. Alas,
by the time you read this in January
others will have printed it first.
Not long ago I went out to Rana,
an outfit that makes really advanced
disk drives for popular machines like
the Apple and the Atari. I brought
home some of the drives, which we
installed on our Apple and Atari
machines, and waited for the boys to
report, since those are their machines
and they're out in back where I don't
see them often.
Their report is wild enthusiasm.
Don't get standard Apple drives. Get
Rana's package, which includes a
new disk-controller card and a whole
92 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 142 on inquiry card.
/Micro/lge
"THEIR ENTHUSIASM ABOUT OUR GROWTH
IN ALASKA WAS CONTAGIOUS. . .IN LESS
THAN TWO YEARS WE'VE EXPANDED INTO
FOUR COMPUTER STORES!''
started MicroAge during the pioneering days of microcomputing is
now a matter of company policy"
"Plus, MicroAge helped us get key product Jines for Alaskal"
-We're believers in MicroAge. Tfieir industry knowledge and
insight into recent product developments has given us the flexibility
to think and react before our competition does. We started with 4
people in a single store in 1981. . .now we have 4 stores and 26
people."
"At MicroAge, they speak our language. . .successV'
.V^fe-x
jay Wistftoff
MicroAge F ranch iset
Tom Hunter
MicroAge Franchisee
To build your own professional computer sales organ-
ization with MicroAge; write to;
/MicroAge®
co/MPUTer srores
"The Solution Store" 9
st Alameda • Tempe, Arizona 85282
(602) 968-3168
MicroAge franchisees \ay Wi'sf/ioff and Tom Hunter shown with Televideo products.
Circle 243 on inquiry card.
Items Reviewed
CB-80
$500
Rana Disk Drives Elite 1
(Apple) $379
CB-86
$600
Rana Systems 1000 (Atari) $449
Digital Research
21300 Superior St.
POB579
i
Chatsworth, CA 91311
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
(213) 709-5484
(408) 649-3896
Repton
$39.95
Eagle 1600
1620 $4495
Spider City
$39.95
Eagle Computer Company
1630 $6995
Sirius Software Inc.
983 University Ave.
1640 $8995
10364 Rockingham Dr.
Los Gatos, CA 95030
Sacramento, CA 95827
(408) 395-5005
(916) 366-1195
Epson QX-10
$2995
Slicer Computer
$1075
Epson America
Slicer Controls/Computer
23155 Kashiwa Court
2543 Marshall St. NE
Torrance, CA 90505
Minneapolis, MN 55418
(213) 534-0360
(612) 788-9481
Janus/Ada D-Pak
8080 $500
Sweet-P Plotter
$795
RR Software
8086 $700
Enter Computer
POB 1512
6867 Nancy Ridge Dr.
Madison, WI 53701
San Diego, CA 92121
(608) 244-6436
(619) 450-0601
JRT Pascal
$29.95
Write
$239
JRT Systems
Minimum Data Base
$49.50
45 Camino Alto
BDS C
$130
Mill \klley, CA 94941
Workman and Associates
(415) 388-0530
112 Marion Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91106
Turbo Pascal
$49.95
(213)796-4401
Borland International
4807 Scotts Valley Dr.
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
(408) 438-8400
bunch of stuff. It all works faster than
standard Apple, with fewer loading
errors. It works with the Applicard
CP/M converter card, too.
We never had any other disk drive
for the Atari, but I can testify that the
Rana Atari drive works flawlessly on
our Atari 800, loading Repton and
Tank Attack and other games (on
which more another time) and repor-
ting all kinds of information that the
Atari standard drives don't.
However, I'd have waited for a less
exciting month to write all that, disk
drives for my popular computers not
being my major area of interest, if the
Rana people hadn't showed me what
they're up to out there, which is no
less than the demise of the hard disk.
Rana will very shortly sell you a
5V4-inch floppy disk that holds 2.5
megabytes formatted.
That's a lot. Syquest will for $90 or
so sell you a "hard-disk cartridge"
system that holds 5 megabytes.
Rana's system requires pref ormatted
disks, but the disks will sell for $15
at first, less later, so that expense is
hardly a problem.
The Rana system puts "burst
tones" on either side of the data
tracks on the disk. These tell the disk
head precisely where the track is,
meaning the track can be narrower,
and the tracks can be closer together,
so that distortions of the media won't
give you bad sector errors. If you
want to know more about the
technology, read something
ONLY SYSTAT HAS THE POWER,
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STATISTICS PACKAGES.
MS-DOS, PC-DOS, CP/M, UNIX" INTRODUCTORY PRICE $399
SYSTAT, INC. 1127 ASBURY AVENUE EVANSTON, IL 60202 (312) 869 7282
94 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 345 on inquiry card.
Handwell \
"What a feeling!" That's
just how you'll feel know-
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IBM-compatible Personal Computer with full color graphics
capability at a price for, far below anyone else.
Not only does the Handwell PC outperform everyone in
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Due to its eight expansion slots, you'll be able to upgrade
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and tomorrow, thus making it obsolescence-
proof. When buying the Handwell PC, you
will be able to take advantage of the enor-
mous, off-the-shelf software library written
for the IBM PC — thus accessing some of
the finest user-friendly software available.
All-in-all, the Handwell can, by combining
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offer you a truly high-performance PC at sub-
stantial savings. So, stop and smell the roses
along the way and see how sweet it is!
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STANDARD FEATURES: • Full Graphics capabilities (640 dots x 200 lines)
• 128K Ram (expandable to 256K) • Two RS232 Serial Ports • One parallel printer port
• Color Display Card • Fully detachable, IBM-compatible Keyboard • 8 Expansion Slots
• One SH-inch Floppy Drive (327Kb-formatted) • MS-DOS Operating System
(MS-DOS 2.0 and CP/M compatible) • 8088 Processor • Spooler (part of system
memory, can be used as a printer buffer) • Real Time Clock and Calendar
'IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines
"CP/M Is a registered trademark of Digital Research. Inc.
'MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft. Inc.
Dealer and OEM inquiries invited
For further information call
800-821-3628
|2 j Handwcllcorp.
4962 El Camino Real
Los Altos, CA 94022
415 962-9265
Circle 178 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 95
technical; I'm more interested in the
implications.
RAM disk, i.e., a way to fool your
system into thinking a lot of memory
is a disk drive, is becoming standard
on most advanced systems like Sage
and Compupro and will be standard
on all systems in a few years. Pion's
Interstellar Drive and Semidisk
already offer ways to put battery
backup on your RAM disk, making
it pretty secure; once again, that will
be standard one of these days.
With a megabyte of RAM disk and
floppy disks holding 2.5 megabytes,
many of the advantages of Win-
chester hard disks simply go away.
After all, hard disks are not as reliable
as floppies. They are subject to prob-
lems when there are extreme humidi-
ty variations. They don't like shock
and vibration. They have to be ""back-
ed up," which is to say you want
copies of what's on them, and that
takes time and has to be done. Their
major advantages are speed and lots
of storage.
I don't make it as a flat prediction,
Professional Graphics at Practical Prices
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Codonics and Imaginator are trademarks of Cleveland Codonics, Inc
but I do put it as a subject for
thought. Given lots of RAM disk,
and 2.5-megabyte floppies, is there
really a need for hard disks at all?
However that develops, Rana is a
company worth watching.
Time Eaters . . .
I'm not very good at arcade games.
My timing just isn't that good. Con-
sequently, I prefer games of strategy
to joystick shoot-the-enemy games.
My boys, however, have different
preferences. The other day an enor-
mous package of Atari games arrived
from Sirius, and since then we've had
trouble getting them to come in for
dinner. There's no room to report on
all of them; I'll get to them next
month.
Meanwhile, my own favorite is the
Atari version of Repton. I didn't much
care for that one on the Apple, but
I find myself wasting more time than
I should on the Atari version. There's
also Spider City, which is mostly
shoot- 'em-up but does have some
strategic decisions involved.
My all-time favorite, though, is still
Epyx's Crush, Crumble, and Chomp.
There's something exceedingly attrac-
tive about burning down and stomp-
ing the Pentagon flat, and in general
making an even bigger mess of
Washington than the politicians
have. . . .
Sigh
My notebook contains six or eight
other items I ought to have got to, but
I'm out of space. I'm also out of time,
since I've got another speech to give
tomorrow and my plane leaves in an
hour.
I love this world of little machines,
but it can wear you thin.B
Jerry Pournelle welcomes readers' com-
ments and opinions. Send a self-addressed,
stamped envelope to Jerry Pournelle, do
BYTE Publications, POB 372, Hancock,
NH 03449. Please put your address on the
letter as well as on the envelope. Due to
the high volume of letters, Jerry cannot
guarantee a personal reply.
Jerry Pournelle is a former aerospace engineer and
current science- fiction writer who loves to play with
computers.
96 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 62 on inquiry card.
ACASE1
ASYt
Ill
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SASADVAMCI
COMPUTER!
ID
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B. Secure three-point latching is provided by lock and key
jombined with an easy to use combination lock. Our Sureglide ,M
action swivel closures hold even when the case is dropped.
Z. Customked foam interior is die cut to fit and protect your computer. On
arger cases the lid is padded with convoluted urethane foam for complete
protection. On 20" cases the lid contains a folio designed to hold floppy
discs, full 15" printout paper and manuals.
D. A sturdy wall of high impact resistant ABS (used in football helmets and
auto bumpers) provides durable outer protection as well as good looks. The
inconspicuous exterior of the case camouflages your computer for added
security.
E. Comfortable padded handle makes carrying easy. Larger models also
have easy glide reinforced wheels and the convenient T-bar pull handle that
flips up when you need it t folds down for travel.
American Tourister computer cases offer you a way to
carry, protect and camouflage your personal computer or
printer in style. They're built with the same high quality
and features that have made American Tourister luggage
famous for more than 50 years.
Quality control atmospheric, stress and "abuse" tests
American
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maintain the strict American Tourister quality standard.
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in metallic graphite gray and classic black.
FULL ONE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY
30 DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE!
USE YOUR VISA, MASTERCARD OR AMERICAN EXPRESS
EE W EH
*E 1-800-341 -6311
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© 1983 American Tourister*, Inc. 91 Main Street, Warren, RI 02885
903 D
DMMODORE
S129.95
^8§?C5 r
HA IN Menu action?
|
w
—
NCE of X Motion? ,
' O 3 2.0
Create a 3-D object.
Modify it to get the best design.
*E 3MOUE 4PLOT
Rotate it to examine it from any angle.
Study it in 3 simultaneous orthogonal
views.
TRANSMISSION
Zoom in on part of it and add details.
Add dimensions and design notes before
plotter output.
SCREEN YOUR DESIGNS
BEFORE THEY GET ON PAPER.
Turn your microcomputer* into a
3-D CAD system.
Find your best idea,
faster. Now, there's a
faster, easier way to find the
best answer to your design
problems. In minutes, you
can create, evaluate and
perfect your design
ideas using your
micro and the MCS
3-D CAD system.
Anyone with even minimal computer
experience can master our easy-to-use CAD
system. It's a simple, menu-driven structure
requiring no complicated commands or lengthy
keyboarding. You're free to think design, not
computers.
Let your micro do the busy work. First,
rough sketch your idea using our 3-D Space
Tablet™ cursor, our high-res 2-D digitizer, your
micro's keyboard, or any combination of the
three.
Then, use Advanced Space Graphics™ soft-
ware to make design changes that normally take
hours to do on paper . . . Scale, rotate or move
your 3-D wireframe model about any axis. Dupli
cate it. Create its mirror image. Section it along
several planes. Join it with other components
stored on file. Study it from 3 simultaneous
orthogonal views, or from an isometric
perspective. Add arcs and
.• ,■ •■■■;-.
circles. Generate surfaces of revolution. You
do the thinking, your computer does the work.
Dimensions are computed
^\ and changed auto matically ,
^ , as your model changes.
When you're ready for
hard copy, Advanced
Space Graphics lets
you add text and
output your finished
design to a plotter
or printer.
The advantages of "true" 3-D. Only our
system offers "true" 3-D hardware/software
capabilities on a micro. You can use our Space
Tablet cursor to actually draw in three dimen-
sions and create, or trace, all kinds of 3-D
shapes, even irregular surfaces. True 3-D lets
you "reach" into your drawing to grab a point, or
figure, and pull it to a new location. It's remark-
ably easy to translate complex 3-D shapes and
ideas into a usable format. Our 3-D CAD system
is being used in engineering, architectural, medi-
cal, chemical, field mapping, educational, art and
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A complete 3-D CAD system. The MCS
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everything you need to do 3-D on your micro.
Except, of course, ideas.
For more information, call: (203)872-0602.
Micro Control Systems, Inc., 27 Hartford
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MICRO CONTROL
SYSTEMS, INC.
*IBM PC and a variety of work-alikes are supported. A more basic version is avail-
able for the Apple 11+ and Apple He. Support for a variety of plotters and 2-D
graphics tablets available now. The most widely used high-resolution screen dis-
plays will be supported by the beginning of 1984.
IBM PC © International Business Machines Corp. Apple 11+ and Apple He & Apple Computer, Inc.
Circle 482 on inquiry card.
1984 and Beyond
"Under the spreading chestnut tree
I sold you and you sold me;
There lie they and here lie we
Under the spreading chestnut tree."
-George Orwell, 1984
1984. Just another year? Or the dawn of a sinister
new era, an era of individual paranoia and cultural
stagnation born of fear and suspicion? A time when
people's movements, habits, and thoughts are
monitored by a centralized power that possesses the
technology to gather, record, and collate mountains of
data?
Or could 1984 bring the beginning of a Pax Orbis Ter-
rarum of prosperity made possible by a technology that
places power in the hands of virtually all citizens, an
information autocracy that closes communications gaps
and binds knowledge workers into a diverse but
cohesive community?
These are complex questions that may have no
answers. Despite our thematic cover, this issue of BYTE
makes no attempt to examine the social, psychological,
and political impact of microcomputer technology-
after all, this is a technical journal.
Instead, as is our editorial wont at the turn of each
new year, this issue offers some speculation on the
specific technical innovations that will affect the per-
sonal computer industry in 1984— 32-bit microproces-
sors, natural-language systems, credit-card-sized mem-
ory devices, and others.
Before delving into these matters, however, we may
all do well to reflect on the implications of our headlong
assault on the bounds of technological possibility.
Eric Blair, writing under the pen name George Orwell,
created in 1947-48 his "negative Utopian" vision of a
world dominated by fascists who possessed awesome
technology. The real world was trying to cope with the
aftermath of an unprecedentedly destructive war, with
the ugliness of Hitlerian genocide, with the throat-
clogging fear of the power of nuclear war technology.
In this atmosphere, Blair, a fanatical anticommunist,
chose to warn the world of the peril represented by the
emerging Russian state by conjuring up the vision that
is 1984.
The reality of the current world is not nearly so bleak.
Nevertheless, there are legitimate concerns about the
use of computer technology in modern society. While
there may be no Big Brother inside your personal com-
puter, the fabric of life in the West is strongly tied to
this technology.
In fact, as this month's cover by visionary Robert
Tinney depicts, Western society is heavily dependent
on computer technology— it makes possible the tele-
communications system that drives our complicated
commercial and industrial economy and permeates all
its sectors. As a society, we are addicted to computers
in much the same way that we are addicted to petro-
chemicals.
Any dependency can be exploited. Our culture's com-
puter (and information) dependency can be used against
individuals and groups as easily as it can be used for
them. The negative uses of information have been
documented by writers such as David Burnham in his
comprehensive book The Rise of the Computer State.
The government is a major user of information. The
most extensively shared information pool in the world
100 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
104 Reason and the Software Bus by
Michael F. Korns
122 A General-Purpose Robot-Control
Language by Dan Prendergast, Bill
Slade, and Nelson Winkless
134 1984, the Year of the 32-bit
Microprocessor by Richard
Mateosian
154 Memory Cards: A New Concept in
Personal Computing by Mark Mills
172 Computer-aided Design by Rik
Jadrnicek
213 Speech Recognition: An Idea
Whose Time Is Coming by George
M. White
226 Using Natural-Language Systems
on Personal Computers by Jane
Eisenberg and Jeffrey Hill
243 Portables-1984 and Beyond: Idea-
Processing Software and Portable
Computers by David Winer and
Peter Winer
251 Beyond the Application Program:
A Different Approach to Integrated
Software by John Banning
Painting by Robert Tinney
is the FBI-coordinated National Crime Information
Center, a computerized network linking more than
57,000 local, state, and federal law-enforcement agen-
cies. The IRS is another agency keen to collect and sift
information. Its latest efforts include buying the mail-
ing lists of swank department stores and luxury-car
dealerships to track the buying habits of well-heeled tax-
payers (Fortune, September 8, 1983).
As Kent Greenwalt of Columbia University Law
School suggests, intensive information gathering could
produce a nation of sheep, all trying to keep their records
clean. Such a response could sap the vitality and diver-
sity of our culture.
With the advent of home banking and shopping ser-
vices, virtually every financial transaction we make will
become part of a computer-controlled record. As the
text box on page 102 suggests, unauthorized use of
these databases may be impossible to prevent. The in-
formation society may soon be victimized by a new
class of criminal, the information thief.
Currently, no laws prevent the use of information in-
tercepted during data transmission over telephone lines.
While tapping phone lines is illegal, using the informa-
tion garnered from a tap is not. The sender virtually
relinquishes his ownership of computerized information
by the mere act of telephone transmission. This pre-
sents the specter of thieves intercepting information
transmitted from a bank computer to your personal
computer and using the information to empty your
account.
In the face of these gloomy possibilities, though, is
the bright prospect that personal computers also have
many beneficial aspects. They can have a democratiz-
ing influence on society by making access to informa-
tion available to large numbers of people. They can aid
communication among groups and individuals, further
shrinking the distances separating the people of the
global community.
However computers ultimately affect our personal
and public lives, you, the BYTE reader, will be one of
the first to know. Theme issues planned for 1984 will
cover topics such as data security, mass storage sys-
tems, new chip technology, and communications.
— G. Michael Vose
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 101
Does Your Computer Need "Debugging"?
by Bruce Bierman
You are in your private office sitting behind your
microcomputer, transmitting highly classified data to
another computer system. There is no reason for you
to suspect that the information you are sending is
being intercepted. Nevertheless, today's electronic
eavesdropping devices make stealing your precious
data a simple operation. The interception may occur
during data transmission, when floppy disks are be-
ing mailed, as a result of illegal access of a mainframe
using a micro, or because an ex-employee knows the
password to your system. But no matter how it oc-
curs, unless you are aware of the vulnerability of your
computer system, you leave your data open to a new
class of criminal-information thieves.
Computers connected to telephone lines are espe-
cially vulnerable. Data transmitted from computer to
computer can be intercepted. Most computers used
to send data to another computer can be called by
an unauthorized "hacker." Once an intruder gains ac-
cess to the computer, he or she breaks past the pass-
word level by writing a computer program that gen-
erates possible combinations of characters until the
password is found. Another method finds the "back
door" access left behind by the original pro-
grammer—a la WarGames— but this is not usually
the case. Once the password has been found, the in-
truder has total access to the computer system.
Dialing into a remote computer using a modem and
a terminal or another computer enables a user to gain
complete access to that system.
Computer data transmitted on telephone lines can
also be recorded using wiretapping devices. The re-
cordings can be input into another computer for de-
coding, allowing the thief to read your information.
This vulnerability also applies to Facsimile Transmis-
sion Machines (FAX), which send pictures of docu-
ments over telephone lines. A tap on a FAX line is
the equivalent of an outside individual having access
to your documents and a copy machine.
I have personally been involved in tracking down
information leaks from a major computer company
whose coming years' marketing plans and price lists
turned up in a competitor's office. The recording of
a PanaFax telephone data-transmission line between
the U.S. and Japan proved to be the source of the
leak.
Transmitted computer data is made up of erratic
sound patterns. Therein lies a legal loophole —
currently, no laws protect the interception and record-
ing of these sound patterns. The law does protect
an individual's privacy in a telephone conversation,
but not the individual's transmitted data.
Using sophisticated electronic eavesdropping
devices, recorded ASCII (American National Standard
Code for Information Interchange) transmissions can
easily be decoded to text on a printer. There are pro-
grams available on the market that absorb strings of
data recorded on tape and analyze the nature of the
data format. The program can determine if the data
is ASCII or an encoded or encrypted file. After estab-
lishing the type of file, it creates a program to read
and print the information.
Although there are devices that protect large com-
puters from unauthorized access by using a call-back
verification method, these devices can be defeated.
Establishing where the authorized locations of dial-
back are and diverting the call-back to another loca-
tion using an array of available telecommunications
equipment on the market is one method. Even if an
individual cannot break into the system using his own
micro, there are still ways to intercept the transmitted
information by placing devices on the data line or
within the computer system itself to monitor its oper-
ation. This is called "bugging" a computer, which is
quite different from a computer with bugs. In bug-
ging or tapping a computer, you can set up the ap-
propriate access necessary to monitor the system's
operation using a microcomputer with a program that
logs all the functions taking place.
The detection method for finding these back doors,
or "debugging," is quite different from correcting
errors in a system. This type of debugging demands
that all logical paths are defined to establish their
finite termination points within the system. Software
taps can take a long time to find, while hardware taps
are more visible and take much less time to identify.
It may be possible to prevent access to your com-
puter system by hackers or pirates, but a great deal
of high-tech espionage is still possible. The profes-
sional thief will not spend hours and days figuring
out passwords and back doors when he can simply
place a tap on your telephone line. All he has to do
then is sit back and wait for you to begin transmit-
ting data.
Bruce Bierman is president of Communical Inc. (1400 Grant Ave.,
Novate, CA 94947), a computer-security consultant firm.
102 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 214 on inquiry card.
KEY TRONIC
PERFECTS THE
IBM* PC KEYBOARD
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Reason and the Software Bus
A narrative about future software
With the dawn of 1984, a look into
the state of software production pro-
vides a view of contrasting extremes.
At one extreme are advanced soft-
ware projects, including the Japanese
ten-year project in supercomputers
and intelligent software. In this
world, heavily funded software re-
search facilities produce expert sys-
tems, natural-language interfaces, ad-
vanced CAD/CAM (computer-aided
design/computer-aided manufactur-
ing) software, and more.
At the other extreme lies the world
of day-to-day business and industrial
programming, a world where 60 per-
cent of all software is still written in
assembly language. In this world,
armies of software technicians labor
intensively to produce small advan-
tages, and a request to a corporate
data-processing department for a
simple report may be bottlenecked
for two years.
What is the future of the software
industry? Will more intelligent soft-
ware put the less competitive soft-
ware factories out of business? Will
the COBOL programmer become an
extinct species? Indeed, will all ap-
plications programmers be replaced
by automated programming soft-
ware? As artificial-intelligence tech-
niques permeate computer science,
the answer to each of these questions
may be yes.
The Reason Research Project
In the summer of 1981 1 began a re-
search project in artificial intelligence.
Its long-term goal was to develop a
highly intelligent software system. I
wanted the system to be as indepen-
dent of its supporting hardware as
possible and also to be easily portable
to succeeding generations of corn-
by Michael F. Korns
puters, to take advantage of increases
in processing power, speed, and
memory-addressing range. I called
the project the Reason research
project.
As the project gained momentum,
I took on an assistant. Our first two
years of effort resulted in a new soft-
ware technology— the Reason soft-
ware bus— and an advanced software
environment that provides multiple
windows and tasks. We call this
environment— as an in-house joke
and with all due respect to Visicorp's
Visi On and Apple's Lisa— Lision.
This article describes the work of the
Reason research project and its
possible effect on future systems
software.
Before I describe the Reason soft-
ware bus and Lision, I'd like to review
the research background of the proj-
ect.
A Large-Scale Technology
Because of the project's ambitious
goals, I knew it would involve many
lines of code and intricate algorithms.
To have a hope of success, I had to
begin by thinking at industrial levels:
not a few programs and hundreds of
lines of code, but hundreds of pro-
grams and thousands of lines of
code.
In software engineering, tech-
niques that are effective at low levels
of production may not remain so at
high levels. Selecting the correct tech-
nology base for development and
production was an important chal-
lenge.
Possible System Models
In choosing a technology for our
software, I considered various cur-
rently available choices including
tools like Unix, C, Pascal, and
Modula-1 as well as structured-
programming techniques, function-
oriented languages, and object-
oriented operating systems. I even
reviewed current experiments that
vary from von Neumann's stored-
program, register-based model of
computing hardware design toward
increasingly parallel processing
techniques.
Ultimately, we reduced the field to
three contenders: object-oriented
operating systems, function-oriented
languages, and a new model— a
"software bus."
Object-oriented operating systems
and function-oriented languages are
based on systems theory and algebra,
respectively, and both derive from
sound theoretic origins. Each of these
orientations can be applied at some
level of engineering effort.
However, important questions re-
main. What are the costs of imple-
menting these systems, and what
resources will they consume in order
to operate efficiently?
Ultimately, I chose to use the third
system model, the software bus, as
the basic tool for the Reason research
project. As we will see in a moment,
this model springs from an extreme-
ly successful engineering metaphor,
rather than from algebra or systems
theory. I thus began with a system
model that I guessed would be prac-
tical, without first worrying if the
model could be shown to be com-
plete in the mathematical or
theoretical sense.
The Hardware Bus
It was the impact of the hardware
bus on the recent history of com-
puters that made me think a software
104 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Artificial
Intelligence:
Reason's
Generational
Approach
The standard approach to a project with
the scope of Reason requires many pro-
grammers and much money. We did not
have such resources and did not wish to
seek venture-capital funding. For these
reasons, we took a risky approach to
reaching our ultimate goals. We had to
bootstrap not just our efforts, but the
technology itself.
We chose to build the Reason technology
in generations of tools. The idea was that
each new generation would be more power-
ful and efficient than the previous one, tak-
ing us a step closer to our goals, and that
with each generation we would build the
next.
This strategy was very risky because if
even one generation of tools should fail,
the project's overall success would be cast
into doubt.
The systems and tools described in the
main text represent the first generation of
the project— the Reason software bus. This
generation of tools is not intended to take
up directly the question of artificial intel-
ligence. Instead, these tools greatly ac-
celerate the creation of more powerful pro-
gram components.
Using these tools, the Reason research
project has been able to generate a complex
software system quickly. The tools seem to
be more efficient than anything any of us
involved in the project has used before.
We also feel that the Reason software bus
fulfills the other criterion of each genera-
tion of our technology: to represent a small
but significant step toward the project's
long-term goal of artificial intelligence in
software. How do I mean this?
No system, human or machine, can
achieve advanced intelligence unless the
system can manipulate its own com-
ponents. To do this, the system must have
a model to use as a guide. If the system
is a machine, the model must be simple and
clear enough for a program to understand.
These criteria were crucial in deciding
that the software bus was the most appro-
priate model to use for the first generation
of our project. The Reason software bus is
a simple, packet-switching data-transmis-
sion protocol. In addition to fulfilling this
generation's goal of greatly increased pro-
gramming productivity, it is also a model
simple and clear enough for a program to
understand. The next generation of in-
tegrated components running on the bus
may well address directly the issue of the
ability of the Reason software bus to under-
stand its own model.
bus would be practical. Bused hard-
ware designs, using integrated cir-
cuits, have been extremely effective
in advancing electronic engineering
in recent years. Most microcom-
puters, for example, include a hard-
ware bus as an integral part of their
design.
The bus setup enables engineers to
design such computer systems in an
open-ended fashion. Simply by mak-
ing them conform to the hardware
bus protocol, engineers can create ex-
citing new hardware and peripherals
compatible with existing systems.
Other engineers can configure new
and different systems out of existing
chips and integrated circuits. Field
technicians can repair all these prod-
ucts by replacing modular boards.
Telecommunications systems dis-
play another successful application of
busing protocols. Communications
networks, which bus data from one
location to another in small packets,
are indispensable to today's informa-
tion-processing industry.
The Reason Software Bus
The power of the bus as a system
model is all the more remarkable in
that the bus is little more than a data-
transmission protocol. What in-
terested the members of the Reason
research project was whether this
busing concept could form the basis
for a similarly successful generation
of software tools. Could we apply the
same design metaphor, so successful
in hardware and telecommunica-
tions, to the creation of an equally
successful new software technology?
The Reason software bus uses the
bus metaphor to create a new soft-
ware technology. In its basic form,
the software bus is a simple protocol
for transmitting data packets from
one bus-integrated software compo-
nent to another. The bus protocol
looks like a standard telecommunica-
tions protocol, with six transmitted
parameters and two returned
parameters.
Bus-integrated components are in-
dependent software modules, the
metaphorical counterparts of the in-
tegrated circuits in a hardware bus
design. They are passive software
packages, activated by transmissions
along the software bus.
Once activated, a bus-integrated
component may initiate transmis-
sions that activate other bus-inte-
grated components. In such an orien-
tation, the software implementing
the bus is in control. Individual soft-
ware components are not even aware
of a world outside themselves. In-
stead, they simply receive and
transmit data packets from origins to
destinations.
Power and Flexibility
Like their counterparts working in
hardware-bus environments, Reason
design engineers using the software
bus can develop powerful bus-inte-
grated components, confident that
Reason system engineers can quickly
configure the bus with various com-
binations of these components to
create complex applications systems.
Reason maintenance personnel can
repair or update such systems mere-
ly by replacing one or more bus-in-
tegrated components with newer and
more powerful components.
Reason and Unix
A comparison with Unix illustrates
the power and flexibility of a soft-
ware-bus design. The Unix operating
system allows standard output from
one program to be rerouted as the
standard input to another program.
This capability, called piping, is a
hallmark of Unix flexibility.
Now consider an environment in
which all input and output of any
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 105
System Models
in Software
Why can't you request a list of all the
programs that operate under CP/M? Of
the programs that interact with each
other? Of the means they use to interact?
Because no such list exists, nor is it like-
ly to exist soon. This is because the sys-
tem model for CP/M programs is unclear.
People can and do write CP/M programs
in any fashion they choose. The question
of system modeling comes up only after the
programs are written, when it is too late.
CP/M is just one of many programming
environments in which the system model
does not receive high priority.
However, new programming environ-
ments are being designed in a different
way. Designers choose a system model
first, and then create programs.
We considered three such models for
Reason. Object-oriented environments,
function-oriented environments, and soft-
ware-busing environments.
A number of current experiments are
aimed at developing object-oriented com-
puter operating environments. An "ob-
ject" can be anything from a byte memory
switch to a whole suite of programs, de-
pending on the flexibility of the system 's
"object dictionary." Object-oriented en-
vironments depend heavily on descriptive
tables and dictionaries.
DICTIONARY
OF
OBJECTS
DICTIONARY
OF
OPERATIONS
DICTIONARY
OF
OBJECTS
I
I
t
OBJECT
OPERATION
OBJECT
Figure 1: An object-oriented operating system model.
The preliminary manual of one such
project contains terms like hierarchy, node,
keys, locks, badges, and zone-in-item-
space. More simply, however, figure 1 il-
lustrates the kind of model an object-
oriented operating system proposes.
In this environment, operations per-
formed on objects create new or altered ob-
jects. Each of these objects and operations
is stored in one or more dictionaries. As
operations alter objects in the environment,
the environment's dictionaries are updated
to reflect these changes. Thus, a list of
available programs, which was difficult to
obtain for CP/M, is easily obtained in an
object-oriented environment. You simply
examine the system's dictionaries.
Function-oriented programming en-
vironments extend to the design and con-
struction of new programming languages
and to the future of computing hardware.
Function-oriented environments are
especially exciting when designed in
tandem with hardware design.
In such an environment, the function-
oriented software is designed to break large
functions down into sequences of smaller
functions. The software then ships these
smaller functions to parallel processors so
that the various portions of a problem are
solved piecemeal but simultaneously.
The Reason design team did not choose
either of these models, despite their respec-
tive attractions. Instead, we chose to de-
velop a software bus. Although it was a
newer, less well-tested system model, we
felt the Reason software bus gave us the
even greater power and flexibility we re-
quired to reach our long-term goals.
program component is "standard/'
i.e., is known to the software bus and
occurs across an active bus transmis-
sion line. Such transmission lines can
be run in series, in parallel, or in any
other logical combination. Transmis-
sions from any component can be re-
routed to any other component on
the bus by a simple command recon-
figuring the bus. Such is the flexibili-
ty and power of the software bus.
Software-Bus Technical Details
The Reason software bus is a data-
transmission protocol between dis-
crete bus-integrated components. Its
function is analogous to the functions
performed by a hardware bus. In fact,
the Reason protocol looks much like
a standard packet-switching network
protocol, with six transmitted
parameters:
• user identification (person or com-
ponent ID)
•logical transmission-line number
(unique data path)
• transmission-origin routing name
• transmission-destination routing
name
•transmission verb or command
expression (e.g., LOGON, LOGOFF,
WRITE, NEXT, etc.)
•transmission data packet
and two returning parameters:
•returned data packet
•transmission status message
The Reason software bus supports
each discrete integrated component
by providing a code page, a data
page, an operations stack, and a data
stack. Figure 1 on page 108 demon-
strates how these supporting
resources interact.
Each time a transmission session
on the bus activates a bus-integrated
program, a Reason context is created.
A newly created timesharing opera-
tion is called a task. It is common to
have multiple contexts within a single
task. It is also possible to have mul-
tiple tasks within a single context.
The code page contains the op-
timized machine-language code that
is the bus-integrated program. The
Reason protocol allows code pages to
vary in size, up to 64K bytes.
Importantly, all Reason bus-inte-
grated components are recursively
reentrant. Neither multiple simulta-
neous contexts nor multitasking ap-
plications require multiple copies of
the same program code page. Com-
ponents can invoke themselves or
106 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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DATA
PAGE
J
i
CODE
PAGE
OPERATIONS
STACK
DATA
STACK
Figure 1: The interacting resources of the
Reason software bus. Each software compo-
nent on the bus has a code for the program 's
source code, a data page for variable storage,
and operations and data stacks, the "scratch-
pads" for program operation.
IBM
PC
IBM
XT
RADIO
SHACK
MODEL 16
HARD
DISK
VICTOR
DEC
PC
Figure 2: Each microcomputer runs a ver-
sion of a Datanet. Datanet masks the dif-
ferences between each node microprocessor and
the network environment. Microcomputers in
the network share data as well as execute pro-
grams interactively.
can be invoked many times concur-
rently and still require only one copy
of the object code.
New data pages are supplied for
each concurrent invocation, and, as
long as the data pages are kept sepa-
rate, everything operates smoothly.
Reason provides a data page for each
context. Reason also provides an
operations stack and a data stack for
each task.
Selecting a Language
Selecting a computing language to
implement the Reason software bus
108 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
was difficult. We needed a high
degree of machine independence but
could not afford the run-time over-
head of previously existing pseudo-
code languages like Pascal.
Pascal also was too high-level for
our purposes, as we needed to work
more directly with the machine. We
looked at FORTH but decided it was
too slow in execution and cumber-
some in its linking process. We felt C
was fast enough, but it still didn't let
us get close enough to the machine.
The N Language
Finally, we chose to develop our
own language to support the project.
We decided to create a language with
two different syntaxes: it would be
simultaneously an assembly lan-
guage and a high-level language. We
dubbed this language a "meta-assem-
bler" because of its dual syntax. We
called it N, for Network language.
(See the accompanying box for
details on N, its speed, and its
unusual dual syntax.)
The Network Control Program
The Reason software bus is an in-
ternally networked data-transmission
protocol. In effect, it is a network of
independent software components.
This network is integrated using a
control program somewhat analo-
gous to an operating system. In
Reason, this program is appropriately
termed a network control program,
or simply NCR By loading a network
control program into a machine and
creating origin and destination dic-
tionaries, you configure the system.
It is the responsibility of the net-
work control program to support the
software bus. How a program is
loaded into a code page, how con-
texts and tasks are started, and how
data pages and stacks are allocated
are all problems that the NCP must
resolve.
Unlike an operating system, how-
ever, a network control program is
merely another discrete integrated
program on the Reason software
bus. Network control programs are
every bit as interchangeable as any
other component in the system. You
can construct many different NCPs,
simple or complex, to satisfy specific
engineering needs. This has interest-
ing implications, especially for net-
works involving a variety of com-
puters.
In figure 2, all computers might be
running copies of the same network
control program and sharing the net-
work equally. Or some computers
could be running different NCPs,
with different functions and orienta-
tions. One or more might be running
NCPs in a slave mode, and one ma-
chine or more might have a master
NCP installed, determining the
specific tasks of the other computers.
The problems of networking per-
sonal computers— from the same
manufacturer, let alone of different
brands— have been hard to solve at
the software level using other tech-
nologies. Once the Reason software
bus has been installed on a number
of machines, however, these prob-
lems shrink to the less difficult activ-
ity of configuring network control
programs for different tasks and re-
lationships among the networked
computers.
Building the First NCP
Datanet, the first network control
program written for the Reason proj-
ect, is designed as a multicontext,
single-tasking, microcomputer net-
work control program. It is a discrete,
integrated component on the Reason
software bus. This first NCP manages
up to 1 megabyte of RAM (random-
access read/write memory) and up to
12 concurrent program contexts and
uses as little as 300K bytes of floppy-
disk storage or as much as 15 mega-
bytes of hard-disk storage.
Copies of Datanet operating con-
currently on different microcom-
puters can be used to create a net-
work machine. Each computer in the
network shares program contexts and
exchanges data. Network machines
can duplicate tasks for redundancy,
or a large problem can be broken up
into smaller activities to take advan-
tage of the parallelism of the
network.
The design of Datanet allows max-
imum flexibility. As figure 3 illus-
trates, the Datanet kernel is nothing
more than a network transmission
Text continued on page 112
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The Six-Shooter graphics plotter
uses six pens, not just two. They
change and cap automatically in
a fraction of a second. And they
can draw at 14 inches a second
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But it's what they draw that
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i
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oo
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The Six-Shooter showed its
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with IBM, Apple and major CP/M
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graphics software created for them.
Including many packages that sup-
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If you're networking, get this:
the Six-Shooter has two ports that
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computer and any terminal, listen-
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The Reason
Network
Language
The N language is an assembler for a
very well defined, imaginary, stack-
oriented, pseudocode-like machine. Pro-
grams can be written, onep-code per line,
exactly as with assemblers for real
machines. But high-level syntax can also
be used, which is why we call it a "meta-
assembler. "
Unlike many other p-code machines, the
N p-codes never appear in the target
machine. The N compiler outputs what in
Reason is called a Compiler Normal Form
file. This file is then passed through O, the
Reason binary code generating optimizer.
And, the final form ofanN language pro-
gram is optimized binary machine language
for the target machine.
The result is that N language programs
are highly portable yet very fast. Currently
the N language operates on the Motorola
68000 and the Intel 8086 family of pro-
cessors. Reason also plans to create op-
timizer tables for the National Semiconduc-
tor 16032 and other microprocessors.
N language programs can be written in
normal assembly-language format or in
high-level syntax. Listings 1 and 2 dem-
onstrate N's unusual feature of a dual syn-
tactical structure.
Significantly, both forms of the program
are equivalent. O will output the identical
optimized binary machine code regardless
of the form used.
O, another product of the first genera-
tion of Reason, is a 900 template optimizer
with expression reduction and register
allocation. Since the optimizer is table
driven, only one copy of the optimizer is
required for all target machines. Chang-
ing the optimizer's tables generates
machine code for a new target machine.
A study published in the Gilbreath ar-
ticle cited in the main text displayed times
for execution of a prime-number generating
program written in several different com-
pilers on the Motorola 68000. A com-
parison of results (table 1) for the same
prime-number generator written in N
yields some indication of the efficiency of
N and O on the 68000 relative to the nine
top performers in the Gilbreaths ' study.
Listing 1: The assembler -like syntax variation of the proprietary language, N.
START:
#LCD{K}
#LOD{I}
#LCI{0}
THEN:
#CPI{GE}
#JCF{ELSE}
#LCI{1}
ELSE:
#LCD{N}
#SVD{I}
#JMP(CONTINUE)
#LCI{-1}
CONTINUE:
#LCD{N}
#SVD{I}
/* LOAD ADDRESS OF INTEGER VARIABLE*/
/* LOAD INTEGER ONTO STACK 7
/* LOAD INTEGER CONSTANT ONTO
STACK 7
/* IS K GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO ? 7
/* IUMP IF K LESS THAN 7
r LOAD INTEGER CONSTANT ONTO
STACK */
/* LOAD ADDRESS OF INTEGER VARIABLE*/
/* SAVE INTO INTEGER VARIABLE */
/* JUMP AROUND ELSE */
/* LOAD INTEGER CONSTANT ONTO
STACK */
/* LOAD ADDRESS OF INTEGER VARIABLE*/
/* SAVE INTO INTEGER VARIABLE */
Listing 2: The high-level syntax of N.
START: IF [K> =0] THEN [N: =1] ELSE [N: = - 1]
CONTINUE:
Time
Computer
Language
(seconds)
68000 8 MHz
Assembly
0.49
68000 8 MHz
SMPL (Ebnek)
2.6
68000 8 MHz
N
2.85
68000 8 MHz (Sun PM68K)
Pascal (Telesoft)
4.28
68000 8 MHz (Sun PM68K)
Ada (Telesoft)
4.4
68000 Wicat 1 50WS
C (Johnson)
4.71
68000 8 MHz (HP-9830)
Ada (Telesoft)
4.0
68000 8 MHz (HP-9830)
Pascal (Telesoft)
5.0
68000 8 MHz
Pascal (Softech Nat.)
5.0
68000 8 MHz
Pascal (IMS Inc.)
5.8
68000 8 MHz (HP-9830)
Pascal (Hewlett-Packard)
5.9
Table 1: Results of a prime-number generating program in a variety of languages run-
ning on 68000 processors.
Reason optimization tools will also in-
clude a table-driven, assembly-language
source generating optimizer to be called S.
This optimizer will generate native assem-
bly language files in one-to-one correspon-
dence with the binary output of the code
generating optimizer. S would be used in
the event that an O-optimized N program
were not fast enough for some special im-
plementation. In such a case, compiler nor-
mal form would be passed through S to
produce native assembly-language source.
An engineering technician would then fur-
ther optimize this source by hand, until
it was as close to assembly-language speeds
as the implementation required.
110 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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Figure 3: The Datanet system is constructed from a layered collection of discrete components
with a single message router at the center. There are no operating systems or applications
programs, just a collection of components, each sending messages to all the other components.
Text continued from page 108:
manager. All of the actual work is
performed by the Datanet system ser-
vice handlers (SSHs), independent
modules through which Datanet
routes all transmissions.
Datanet comes with several resi-
dent system service handlers, and
additional disk-resident SSHs are
available as well. Datanet's use of
disk-resident SSHs allows an engi-
neer wide flexibility in dynamically
extending or constricting Datanet for
specific environments.
The Laplace Interpreter
With an NCP and other bus-inte-
grated programs available, it re-
mained to complete the actual soft-
ware bus by linking these com-
ponents.
To picture this problem, consider
how a printed-circuit board joins
unrelated components in a hardware
bus design to create products. How
are two popular 16-bit computers—
the DEC Rainbow and the IBM PC-
related? From our human point of
view, the difference between these
two computers is clear. They look dif-
ferent, they have different keyboards,
and they come from different manu-
facturers.
Yet, from an engineering stand-
point, they and other computers
share many of the same integrated
circuits and components. Under their
covers may lie the same micropro-
cessor, memory chips, and logic cir-
cuitry. Seen from the point of view
of an integrated-circuit manufacturer,
each of these computers might be
thought of as merely a different user
view of mostly identical components.
How could we on the Reason re-
search project construct software user
views? Obviously, in software we
could not use a physical surface such
as a printed-circuit board. Instead,
we would need an algorithmic lan-
guage to logically connect our various
software-bus components. To speed
up development of the Reason proj-
ect's user views (the applications soft-
ware), we decided that this language
would be interpreted.
Existing Choices
Once again, we undertook a review
of the existing technology in the area
of interpreters. We looked first, of
course, at BASIC. The syntax style of
BASIC is easy to learn and use,
which means that programming neo-
phytes might be able to develop user
views on the Reason software bus.
Because BASIC programs are read-
able after any number of revisions,
maintenance is fairly easy. But BASIC
lacks the modularity necessary for
large engineering projects. We had to
reject it as the language of choice.
APL has simple and efficient
modularity, but its syntax is too
esoteric and difficult to maintain.
FORTH, the only other interpreter
we considered at length, is exten-
sible: user-defined commands can ex-
tend the language's vocabulary with
new words— a very desirable feature.
Another FORTH advantage is its abil-
ity to get at the machine.
But FORTH did not fulfill our syn-
tactical requirements for readability.
So, as you might expect, once again,
we decided to create our own inter-
preter, combining all these desirable
features. We call it Laplace.
Laplace is an interpretive language
in the same syntax family as BASIC.
It has the modularity and recursion
of APL. It also has the extensibility
and machine facilities of FORTH. The
Laplace interpreter is one more bus-
integrated component, a discrete
software module running on the
Reason software bus.
A Laplace Listing
Listing 1 is a prime-number pro-
gram coded as a user-defined com-
mand in Laplace. Versions of this pro-
gram in many different languages ap-
peared in an article by Jim Gilbreath
and Gary Gilbreath (see "Eratos-
thenes Revisited: Once More through
the Sieve," January 1983 BYTE, page
283). Listing 1 allows comparison of
Laplace syntax with that of other
languages.
112 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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Our First User View
With Laplace in our software tool-
box, it was now time for the acid test.
Could the Reason research project ac-
complish anything with these shiny
new software tools? It was time to
construct the first user view.
To preserve the bus metaphor and
perform this task efficiently, this user
view would have to be a selection of
discrete bus-integrated components
fitted together via interpretive
Laplace programs and merged into a
system configuration. Of course, with
this as with all user views, the com-
puter user would not need to see in-
side the creation.
From the user's point of view, this
new creation seems just like any
other large, complex application pro-
gram, in the same way that a DEC
Rainbow and an IBM PC appear to a
user as distinct computers, rather
than two different user views of
mostly the same components.
We chose to develop an advanced
user view— a complete software en-
vironment comparable to Visicorp's
Visi On and the software running on
Apple's Lisa.
Could we develop, without high-
resolution hardware or a mouse, a
user view of such sophistication? We
decided to try and to refer to this en-
vironment as Lision.
Lision
In order to fully test the productivi-
ty of the new software tools, we as-
signed one senior software engineer
full-time to the project. Single-
handedly, this engineer would have
to connect existing bus components
together with Laplace algorithms to
form
• a multiple-screen context (window)
applications interface
•a disk operating system, similar in
its functions to MS-DOS, which
would operate out of any of the
screen contexts
•an advanced spreadsheet program
•a full-service text editor
• a document printer/ formatter for
combining text files into large printed
documents
• a database-management system
The result, Lision, operates effi-
ciently in 320K bytes of RAM, using
as little as 300K bytes of disk space.
(See photos 1 through 11.)
The document printer/formatter
can produce documents of up to 500
pages and automatically generates a
table of contents, headers, etc. The
disk operating system can perform
directories, memory dumps, interac-
tive debugging, generic file copies,
deletes, merges, and even generic N
compiles or native assemblies.
The Lision text editor does line or
column move or copy, group search
or replace, wrap-around paragraph
managing, and even sorting. The
spreadsheet is fully programmable. It
includes all the transcendental func-
tions, IF. . THEN statements, user
definable commands, and a wide
range of full programming features.
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Standard features include:
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CONSOLINK
CORPORATION
»840 Industrial Circle Longmont.CO8050I (303)65
Circle 110 on inquiry card.
- OUU-DZD-O/UD
Subsidiary of Consolidated *
Packaging Corporation
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Photo 1: Lisicalc, the Transoft spreadsheet, shown with one of its
pop-up menus.
Photo 2: The spreadsheet shown with the program it automatically
generates. Programs in the Laplace interpreter can generate spread-
sheets, and use of the spreadsheet generates programs.
CONTEXT* |Tfl9
CONTEXTB 1*8
COHTEXTC ! 121
. »«nf2e BAR SftftPH
121 DATABIQS
122 DATANET
123 DOCUMENT
8.88 4066.08 4908.09 4966124 ECU
8.88 180988.88 188088.88 108996125 LaPLACE
126 REPORT
(all of the above, to be integrated wi
)hp:SHALL BUSINESS PACKAGE
The small business package Hill i
business packages which other licra to
will be integrated on the software bus
12 0.60 2759.80 2750.08 2756138
g 5636.28 131
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15 9.00 2560.60 2500.06 2566133
16 5.00 625.60 625.68 625134
17 0.00 3898.88 3666.60 3886135
18 0.66 3680.66 3009.86 3888136
19 6.66 258.00 258.68 258137
26 8.60 850.08 858.06 856138
Photo 5: The spreadsheet and word processor in different windows.
The user is preparing to copy the title "SMALL BUSINESS PACK-
AGE' ' from the text file at right directly into the spreadsheet at left.
Large blocks of text can also be moved.
} UU of the above, to be integrated wi
■ 8.80 2750.88 2758.80 2758139 )hp:SNAU BUSINESS PACKAGE
13 5638.28 131 The snail business package will i
14 1562.33 132 business packages which other micro so
15 8.38 2506.80 2500.98 2580133 will be integrated on the software bus
16 5.00 625.00 625.80 625134
17 8.00 3006.00 3000.08 3666135
18 6.00 3868.66 3606.00 3866136 COMPONENT
19 0.88 258.88 258.86 258137 —
26 8.88 858.88 858.88 856138
Photo 6: The heading now appears in the spreadsheet.
a 00 I 18.88 4666124
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127
SMALL BUSINESS PACKA6E g
a 00 2750.08 2758.80 2758138
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fell of the above, to be integrated wi
>hp:S«ALL BUSINESS PACKA6E
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business packages union other micro so
wi 1 1 be integrated on the software bus
Photo 9: Preparing to do a descending alphabetic sort on a column Photo 10: A Lisiword window overlapping a Lisicalc window,
of words.
116 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
nATABi REPLACE iwndtnt* 45 pp
_ | niniuMi feature ) 125 pp
uplaj program i 53 pp
DOCUHI unused I «
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mtsmx Business package
The sim 11 business package will include the fundainentai
business packages ufrich other micro software houses offer,
will be integrated on the software bus.
36 COMPONENT
MANUAL STftTla
Photo 3: Lisiword, the word processor , preparing to sort a list of Photo 4: The page numbers in the text file are now in ascending order,
numbers in a text file.
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Photo 7: Preparing to copy a column of numbers from the spread-
sheet into the text file.
Photo 8: The numbers now appear in the Lisiword text file.
>7c ryrrOTW* w*. ■ ■ ■*•* ■■■■ ■■■«•■' ■
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Photo 11: Three Lision windows showing a dump for a machine
language file in hexadecimal, a program written in the Laplace inter-
preter, and a program written in the N compiler'.
Lision's database-management system is not quite
finished at this writing. When complete, it will include
masked screen display, data entry, and creation; auto-
matic report generation and creation of report formats;
and impromptu inquiry in an English-like query lan-
guage.
Lision features a single-line menu at the top of the dis-
play for highlighting current user options. Function keys
take the place of the mouse for selecting menu options
and do not disturb the normal cursor position in the cur-
rent window. Furthermore, the system features user-pro-
grammable function keys (softkeys) to automate menu
selections or any other operations.
Lision allows multiple programs to operate simulta-
neously, each with its own different screen. Windows
can be placed anywhere on the display and may be of
any size. They may overlap, be side to side, on top of
one another, and so on (the desktop metaphor). Data
can be transferred from any window into any other.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 117
Circle 132 on inquiry card.
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Circle 364 on inquiry card.
Using the new software bus tools,
the Reason research project created
Lision in less than 10 person-weeks.
Lision was begun on July 15, 1983,
and the first draft of this article was
written on September 27, 1983, using
Lision.
Summary
Design work on the Reason soft-
ware bus began on July 1, 1981. Final
cleanup on this generation of tools
should be completed before you read
this article. The bus and Lision are
currently operational, although they
require beta testing and bug fixes.
The entire Reason software bus
was developed in less than 36 engi-
neering person-months. Equipment
used in the project comprised two
68000-based desktop computers and
an IBM PC system modified by inclu-
sion of a 68000 board manufactured
by Analytical Engines Inc. of Austin,
Texas.
One favorable compiler timing
comparison and one favorable appli-
cations development project do not
a technology make. Of course, we at
the Reason research project are ex-
cited about our progress. We have
high hopes for the future. However,
if software-busing concepts, and the
Reason software bus in particular, are
to become a factor in future tech-
nology, they must remain productive
across a number of tests and within
a number of different environments.
If they continue to be productive,
it's possible that software-busing con-
cepts may form a new software tech-
nology with dramatic effects on the
software choices of the future.
Because of this possibility, mem-
bers of the Reason research project,
together with other associates, have
formed a company called Transoft
Corporation to market the products
of Reason research. Lision, no doubt
under another name, will be one of
the company's first products. ■
Michael F. Korns has been a software engineer
for 18 years. He has worked in systems design for
IBM, as a DP Manager for Tymshare, and until
1981 was a principal in Computhink (now called
Momentum Inc.). A student of mathematics, his
primary interest is in artificial-intelligence software.
He can be reached at Transoft Corporation, 233 Page
St., San Francisco, CA 94117.
Circle 296 on inquiry card. »
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5 built-in option slots. So you get
more computer without buying
a new one.
Best graphics.
Our high resolution monitors
give you some of the sharpest dis-
plays available, 3 -plane
graphics and the capability
for 8 simultaneous colors
or monochrome shades
(IBM and Apple give you
only 4). Plus, unlike IBM,
the same software runs
on either the color or
monochrome
monitor.
Best software available today.
Literally hundreds of third-party
software packages are available for
the TI Professional Computer. In-
cluding the best-sellers like Lotus
1-2-3 ™. TI and leading third-party
software suppliers are committed to
developing new programs to help
keep your business ahead.
Best keyboard.
Superior design makes this the
easiest to use keyboard. You get 12
programmable function keys for
faster, easier use. Separate numeric
keypad and cursor controls. And
isolated edit/delete keys to prevent
accidental loss of data.
Best new features for the future.
Come in to a participating dealer
today for a demonstration of the TI
Professional Computer using our
revolutionary speech recognition t
capability. Soon you will be able to
add the recently announced Speech
Command ™ option to the TI
Professional Computer. This will
enable you to operate the computer
with simple voice commands.
Which lets you work
a lot faster and easier.
Best support equipment
We offer companion equip-
ment like the OMNI 800*
Model 850 and 855 printers for
reliable hard copy output. And,
early 1984, the EtherLink™ Local
Area Network to connect your office
workstations. All backed by the
TI worldwide network of service
and support.
See the TI Professional Computer
for yourself. It is, quite simply, the
best. Today and tomorrow. Now at
participating ComputerLand stores
and independent dealers. For the
location nearest you, and answers to
questions about your computing
needs, call 1-800-527-3500. J/l
Texas
Instruments
Creating useful products
and services for you.
" OMNI 800 and Speech Command are trademarks 6F
Texas Instruments Incoqx>rared.
EtherLink is a trademark of 3Com Corporation.
1-2-3 is a Trademark nf Lotus Corporation.
"Now being demonstrated nationwide. Available eatly 1984.
Copyright © 1983 Texas Instruments 277S-04OPC
A General-Purpose Robot-
Control Language
122 January 1984 © BYTE Publications. Inc.
RB5X is a little fellow, almost 2V 2
feet tall. He is cylindrical, avail-
able with or without an arm, and has
a domed plastic top (see photo 1).
With two powered-drive wheels and
two casters for balance, he can pivot
around his own center point, rotate
360 degrees within his own diameter,
and move forward or backward at
about 4 inches per second. He's
equipped with a ring of bumper
switches, a highly directional sonar
system capable of sensing remote ob-
jects or barriers at distances ranging
from 10 inches to 35 feet. Infrared
sensors under his body can detect
markers on the ground, including a
line that guides him to a charger at
which he feeds his two sealed lead-
acid batteries (see photo 2).
RB5X is a personal robot, the first
in a series under development by RB
Robot Corporation. RB5X is an exam-
ple of state-of-the-art personal robots
now reaching the market for the first
time.
The robot can be fitted with a
vacuum cleaner (see photo 3), a
trailer, a voice, a compass for naviga-
tion, and even a fire detector and ex-
tinguisher. With speech-recognition
equipment, RB5X can come when
called and respond to useful spoken
commands.
Notably, the robot is designed for
growth. This initial design uses an
INS-8073 8-bit processor from Na-
tional Semiconductor with Tiny
BASIC in ROM (read-only memory)
and 8000 bytes of RAM (random-
access read/write memory) to pro-
gram control of the robot. Memory
can be expanded with another 16,000
bytes of RAM, plus 4K-byte EPROM
(erasable programmable ROM) car-
tridges for prewritten programs. The
system motherboard provides several
slots for expansion. Options as well
as additional plug-ins developed by
RB Robot and other companies are all
designed to use this bus.
Robots, even more than mass-mar-
keted computers, are expected to com-
municate with people in a convenient
and friendly style. RB5X's program-
ming language, Tiny BASIC, has some
good features and packs a lot of power
in a very small package, but conve-
nience and friendliness with nontech-
nical strangers cannot be counted
among its good features. For example,
to sound the robot's horn, it's neces-
sary for a programmer to type an in-
struction such as @#7801=#80. To
make the horn stop, a different in-
struction is needed. This isn't what
the average person has in mind for
conversation with a robot. When we
designed RB5X, we knew that a
natural language for control of robots
would be essential to their general ac-
Robots, even more
than mass-marketed
computers, are
expected to
communicate with
people in a convenient
and friendly style.
ceptance in society. The open ques-
tion was, "How soon could it be
done?"
The first steps were taken with re-
markable speed. In June of 1983, the
RB Robot staff examined a software
system called Savvy developed by Ex-
calibur Technologies Corporation.
This system showed that the state of
the art in plain-language program-
ming and communication with com-
puters had moved faster than antici-
pated. Even in its first release, Savvy
offered a way to leap almost im-
mediately from communication ex-
clusively in computer code to com-
munication in plain language.
We do not intend to do a full ex-
position of Savvy in this article. (The
Savvy programming language will be
reviewed in the February BYTE.)
Briefly, the Savvy system integrates
a computer operating system, an in-
definitely extensible computer Ian-
Photo 1: RB5X, a personal robot, standing next to the "charger /nest." When the robot finds
the nest, the two metal contacts on the front make contact with the metal strips of the curved
surface of the charger and recharge the robot's batteries. (Photos courtesy of RB Robot
Corporation.)
guage, utilities, and applications.
Savvy is integrated with an adap-
tive pattern-recognition process
(APRP) that lets it determine and act
upon the meaning of imprecise in-
puts, program names, or instruc-
tions. For example, if Savvy has been
programmed to recognize the in-
struction BLOW THE HORN, it will
without further training recognize
such mistyped or rephrased instruc-
tions as BLWO YOUR HRON, BLWO
THEH ORN, etc.
Any specified input can be con-
nected in Savvy with any specified
output. Thus, the Savvy system can
be trained so that if it sees a pattern
that seems more like BLOW YOUR
HORN than anything else, it should
output the instruction @#7801=#80.
Furthermore, Savvy can learn that
HONK and SOUND WARNING
SIGNALS and OBLAY DER
ORNHAY all mean BLOW YOUR
HORN. If you then type SOUND
THE HORN, the correct Tiny BASIC
code will be emitted.
RB Robot contracted with Excalibur
for development of a new robot-
control language (RCL) that uses the
Savvy system on the Apple II com-
puter. Programs are written in plain
language, then automatically cross-
compiled into Tiny BASIC code that
is downloaded into the robot's
computer.
Working in RCL with Savvy, a pro-
grammer of RB5X doesn't need to re-
member whether the command to
move forward is @#7802=#9 or
@#7801=#20; he simply types MOVE
FORWARD.RCL is more than a
simple substitution of English words
for computer code. The programmer
can at any time add to the RCL
vocabulary. In fact, the programmer
creates a new language in using the
system; he not only adds synonyms
to the existing commands but creates
new commands and extends the lan-
guage as far as desired.
If the operator writes a routine in
RCL that causes the robot to run in
a circle, the name of that routine
(probably RUN IN CIRCLES or
MAKE A CIRCLE) becomes part of
the RCL vocabulary. RUN IN
CIRCLES becomes a command with
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 123
Photo 2: An internal viezv of RB5X that shows the main circuit board and rechargeable batteries.
as much authority as any Savvy
primary-language command like
ADD, EDIT, or SAVE. Perhaps the
operator wants the robot to do a
dance while humming its own tune.
The robot may be instructed to
MOVE FORWARD, then RUN IN
CIRCLES, then MOVE BACKWARD.
It is unnecessary to tell the computer
to go and find the subroutine called
RUN IN CIRCLES, fetch it, and then
run it. The name of the routine itself,
RUN IN CIRCLES, implies all that,
and Savvy does it automatically with-
out requiring detailed instructions.
You can think of Savvy as an auto-
matic programmer that knows all of
the details about the computer sys-
tem. It tells the computer how to ac-
complish the steps of the task,
specifies memory allocation, data
types, linking, and blocking. Savvy
tells the computer when to open and
close files and how to move through
the structural hierarchy from one
point in the system to another. Savvy
knows more about the internal oper-
ations of an Apple or IBM Personal
Computer system than most human
programmers. It follows the step-by-
step instructions of a human pro-
grammer to code the program.
Savvy and a programmer must be
able to communicate. RCL is the vo-
cabulary created to enable that com-
munication. If any wording choice
seems unbearably bad to any RCL
user, that person can associate some
preferred name with the bad one and
use that. To each his own.
Skilled programmers, proud of
their ability to operate in obscure
codes, may choose to give RCL an ef-
ficient vocabulary of very short
names. You might teach the system
that MF means the same as MOVE
FORWARD, MB, MOVE BACK-
WARD, and RIC, RUN IN CIRCLES.
Using this kind of technique does not
necessarily hide the meaning from
newcomers to the code. Savvy inter-
prets each command in terms of its
original, underlying vocabulary.
Unless the programmer takes steps
to obscure the meaning of the pro-
gram (which can be done), the pro-
gram task is ultimately documented
by the system in plain text.
The vocabulary is constantly ex-
panding because new fundamental
instructions are continuously being
added to the system for operation of
the arm and hand, sensory systems,
and other peripherals. The RCL pro-
grammer can add instructions, up-
dating the system at any time, sim-
ply by defining the new terms to the
system. RCL users will often develop
new fundamental instructions that
seem useful to them and add them
to their own systems. No users group
has yet been formed to publish and
maintain a dictionary of terms com-
mon to all RCL users, though such
action would facilitate standardiza-
tion from system to system.
Developing RCL was essentially a
job of writing a compiler as an ap-
124 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
plication program in Savvy. The
mechanics of the system were deter-
mined by the nature of the existing
Tiny BASIC software and hardware.
The National Semiconductor micro-
processor, memory and supporting
circuitry are packaged specifically as
a Tiny BASIC engine.
The goal in developing RCL was
straightforward: create a plain-lan-
guage programming environment
that will let a user readily create and
edit "scripts" to govern a robot's
behavior. We did not want to limit the
effective utilization of all of the hard-
ware features of RB5X, and we
wanted to make good use of Tiny
BASIC. We aimed to create a flexible,
easily extensible set of programming
constructs.
The INS-8073 directly supports an
RS-232C port through which a ter-
minal can communicate with the
Tiny BASIC interpreter/monitor in
the RB5X. It was clear that with a cor-
rectly functioning robot, we didn't
need two-way communication with
Tiny BASIC. We could work just one
way, downloading a program from
the Apple to the robot.
Communications resolved, the
next concern was storage of the Tiny
BASIC program text. The typical syn-
tax of a BASIC statement is statement
numbers and then statement text.
Therefore, a program file folder was
named SOURCE, which had as its in-
dexing item STATEMENT NUMBER
and the two items BASIC TEXT and
MEANING. BASIC TEXT is the pro-
gram statement, and MEANING is a
diagnostic and educational remark
for the user.
By way of clarification, Savvy ter-
minology, as well as structure, is
somewhat different from convention.
Savvy uses the word folder for what
is commonly called a "file," page for
"record," item for "field," and task for
"program." (Yes, there is debate about
this, but we'll not enter it here.)
The folder structure for stored Tiny
BASIC text in RCL is:
SOURCE (a folder)
1 Id STATEMENT NUMBER
2 Item BASIC TEXT
3 Item MEANING
Each robot script is, in fact, a Savvy
task and is edited by the Savvy task
editor. The "primitive" programming
elements of RCL are the kinds of
commands we suggested above. For
example,
GO FORWARD
SPIN RIGHT 90 DEGREES
WAIT this many seconds < 1 >
TURN ON HORN
SAY this phoneme <1>
From these discrete instructions, the
Savvy task editor compiles the Tiny
BASIC text necessary to accomplish
the function specified.
Here is the process for compiling
a single line of Tiny BASIC: Incre-
ment the current line number to form
the STATEMENT NUMBER for this
statement, copy the appropriate piece
of text to the BASIC TEXT, copy any
meaningful text description to the
MEANING, and then save this page
of data in the SOURCE folder. Two
tasks have been written to accom-
plish this compilation:
INCREMENT STATEMENT
NUMBER (a task)
1 Does ADD the STATEMENT
NUMBER and STATEMENT
NUMBER INCREMENT VALUE
2 and COPY from SUM to
STATEMENT NUMBER
3 and END .
COMPILE the BASIC statement
<1> which means <2>
(a function)
1 Does INCREMENT STATE-
MENT NUMBER
2 and COPY from (1) to BASIC
TEXT
3 and COPY from (2) to
MEANING
4 and SAVE new page in
SOURCE
5 and END
With these two tasks, it's easy to
write one-liners to compile a state-
ment. Some RCL primitives are very
simple. For example, STOP ALL MO-
TION (a task) does a COMPILE of
the BASIC statement @#7802=#0
(which means STOP ALL MOTION).
In another example, the primitive
WAIT goes through logic to deter-
mine if a specified waiting period is
shorter than one second. (In many
Text continued on page 230
Photo 3: RB5X with an optional vacuum-cleaner attachment.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 125
Circle 216 on inquiry card,
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Listing 1: The Charger Finder routine written in RCL with Savvy. The program instructs
the robot to search for a metal tape on the floor and follow that tape to the "charger/nest."
57 Main Street, P.O. Box 70
Franconia, N.H. 03580
(603) 823-5587/7021
JEB 3
1 RESET THE ROBOT
2 INITIALIZE MEMORY
3 BEGIN A REPEATING PROCEDURE
4 INITIALIZE MESSAGES
5 CLEAR ALL VARIABLES
6 BEGIN A REPEATING PROCEDURE
7 GO FORWARD
8 LEAVE IF ANY BUMPER TOUCHED
9 DOES THE variable R compare = to ZERO
10 LEAVE THIS REPEATING PROCEDURE
1 1 END TEST
12 REPEAT THIS REPEATING PROCEDURE
1 3 LEAVE I F TAPE I S SENSED
14 MOVE WITH BETA INTELLIGENCE
15 REPEAT THIS REPEATING PROCEDURE
16 FOLLOW TAPE
17 MAINTAIN CHARGE
Listing 2: The Charger Finder routine compiled into Tiny BASIC code. This program is trans-
ferred from the Apple II computer into the RB5X's on-board computer.
Tiny BASIC Text
10 T = 10
20 GOSUB 1000
30 T = 10
40 GOSUB 1000
50 @ #7803 = #98
60 N=TOP
70 0=TOP + #FF
80 M= TOP + #200
90 FOR P = N TO M
100 @P = #FF
110 NEXT P
120 REM START A LOOP
130 @ #7803 = #98
140 CLEAR
150 REM START A LOOP
160 @ #7802 =#09
170 Y=@#7800
180 IF Y<255 GOTO 230
190 IF R<0 GOTO 210
200 GOTO 230
210 REM END HERE
220 GOTO 150
230 REM EXIT TO HERE
240 X = #02
250 GOSUB 1100
260 R=@#7802 AND #40
270 IF R = GOTO 310
280 GOSUB 2000
290 REM RETURN GOES HERE
300 GOTO 120
310 REM EXIT TO HERE
320 REM START A LOOP
330 @ #7803 = #98
340 CLEAR
350 REM START A LOOP
360 @ #7802 = #08
370 X = #02
380 GOSUB 1100
390 R=@#7802 AND #40
400 IF R = GOTO 440
410 Q=@#7802 AND #20
420 IFQ = 0GOTO 440
Meaning of Text
Number of whole seconds
Go wait
Number of whole seconds
Go wait
Initialize I/O
Initialize experience block
Initialize inhibition block
Begin A Loop
Initialize I/O
Clear variables
Begin A Loop
Go forward
Test for bumper contact
Exit if any contact
Make a comparison
Exit this Loop
Fall through to here
Repeat this Loop
Turn on LED 1
Go turn on a bit
Test for tape sense
Exit if tape sensed
Go to Beta Subroutine
Return to here
Repeat this Loop
Begin A Loop
Intialize I/O
Clear variables
Begin A Loop
Right forward
Turn on LED 1
Go turn on a bit
Test for tape sense
Exit if tape sensed
Test for charger contact
Exit if charger sensed
Listing 2 continued on page 128
126 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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CHARLIE!
If you just bought o 1 6-bit 8066 computer with o 1 60K drive, 256K RAM, Ramdisk ond
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The color graphics board built-in to the PC-PlusTM generates o resolution of 640x400
dots in monochrome, and generates 6 colors. The circuit board is presocketed for 256K,
and an 6067 chip, and is warrantied for a full year by 50 Sanyo Service Centers.
The PC-Plus will run many programs written for the IBM-PC®, yet costs less than one-third
as much. Due to the huge demand for the PC-Plus you may have to wait, but give us a
call for more information. Better safe than sorry!
PC PLUStm $1 099
PCDELUXEtm Call
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COLUMBIA
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Single user systems now backed nation-
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Include Word processing, spreadsheet
ond graphics software ( olong with CP/M
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TPC Call
603 S1649
1603 $2269
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606/20 mb. S4659
616/40 mb S9275
From the lowest-priced duol-floppymulti-
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(call for prices).
5-60-2 $1996
5-60-10 $3629
5-66-10 $5795
5-66-40 $7995
6000-10 $4679
6000-14 $6116
Our best selling Z-80 system just went
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dual drives. CP/M* Sanyo Basic. Wordstar
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a gomes disk, ond 2 Boxes of disks.
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VP $2349
1601 $2479
1600-4 (I0mb) $3545
TERMINALS
ZENITH Z110
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PRINTERS
Adds Viewpoint 3 A+ Emulates
the ADM-3A detached keyboard, keypad,
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Viewpoint 60 $589
Wyse 50 $506
Wyse 100 $694
Televideo914 Call
Televideo 924 $669
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Altos II $724
Zenith Z-29 $656
Zenith ZT-1 $469
Qume 102 $544
HOUSTON
INSTRUMENTS
DMP-29 $1795
DMP-40 $745
DMP-41 $2340
\ \y
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|Scottsdale Systems^ i
617 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite B, Scottsdale, Arizona 85257
S (602) 941-5856 F
.^ Call 8-5 Mon.-Fri.
-0/^k We P Qrticl P Qfe ,n arbitration for business ond customers through the Better
Business Bureou of Maricopa County.
SERVICE/ORDERING
INTEGRATION: Prices listed ore for new equipment in factory sealed boxes with manufacturer's
warranty. We will pretest your equipment. Inregrote your system, configure your software, provide
special cobles, etc, far an additional charge. Coli for prices,
ORDERING: MAIL ORDER ONLY. P tees listed ore for cosh. No C.O.D.s. We sell on o Net 30 I
basis to Fortune 1 000 companies ond Universities with good credit. P.O.'s odd 2%. charge cords odd
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rake 3 weeks ro clear. 0-20% restocking fee for returned merchandise. Shipping extra -products are
F.O.B. poinr of shipment. CP/M and MP/M ore registered trademarks of Digit ol Research. Wordstar is a
registered trademark of MicroPro Internotlonol. IBM and IBM PC ore registered trademarks of
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Systems. Inc.." SOFTWARE: Sold only w/systems. not worrontied for suitability.
OKIDATA
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Gemini 10X $11 5 off
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Delta 10's Call
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Tally 160L/trac $584
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Anadex Call
IDS Prisms ... .... Call
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Silver Reed 550 $654
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NEC 7710 $1965
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The new Microline 92s ond 93s feature 160 CP.S.
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Standard parallel, serial card add S91.
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Microline 82 $134 off
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Replaces the Daisywriter 2000. Uses the
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Will run serial, parallel, or IEEE 488. 48K
buffer standard, uses Diablo codes.
$1044
Listing 2 continued:
Tiny BASIC Text
Meaning of Text
Tiny BASIC Text
Meaning of Text
430 GOTO 350
440 REM EXIT TO HERE
450 Q=@#7802 AND #20
460 IFQ = GOTO 800
470 X = #40
480 GOSUB 1100
490 T =
500 DO
510 T = T+1
520 @ #7802 = #09
530 R=@#7802AND#40
540 UNTIL (RO0) OR (T> =
550 DELAY 100 •
560 @#7803 = #98
570 CLEAR
580 REM START A LOOP
590 @ #7802 = #01
600 X = #02
610 GOSUB 1100
620 R=@#7802AND#40
630 IFR = 0GOTO 670
640 Q=@#7802AND#20
650 IF Q = GOTO 670
660 GOTO 580
670 REM EXIT TO HERE
680 Q=@#7802AND#20
690 IF Q = GOTO 800
700 X = #40
710 GOSUB 1100
720 T =
730 DO
Repeat this Loop
Test for charger contact
Exit if charger sensed
Turn on flashing lights
Go turn on a bit
Initialize
Do the following
Math function
Go forward
Test for tape sense
100) Check exit conditions
Short wait
Initialize I/O
Clear variables
Begin A Loop
Left forward
Turn on LED 1
Go turn on a bit
Test for tape sense
Exit if tape sensed
Test for charger contact
Exit if charger sensed
Repeat this Loop
Test for charger contact
Exit if charger sensed
Turn on flashing lights
Go turn on a bit
Initialize
Do the following
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128 January 1984 ©BYTE Publications Inc. Circle 483 On inquiry card.
740 T = T+1
750 @#7802 = #09
760 R=@#7802AND#40
770 UNTIL (R<>0) OR (T> =
780 DELAY 100
790 GOTO 320
800 REM EXIT TO HERE
610 GOSUB 2310
1000 FORS = 1 TOT
1005 DELAY 1000
1010 NEXTS
1015 RETURN
1100 U = @#7801
1105 U = UORX
1110 @#7801=U
1115 RETURN
1120 U = @#7801
1125 U = U ANDX
1130 @#7801=U
1135 RETURN
2000 P=@#7800
2010 IF P = 255 THEN P = 251
2020 V=@(N + P)
2030 IF VO#FF GOTO 2100
2040 V = RND(1,14)
2050 IF(V = 3)OR(V = 12)OR
(V = (0 + P)
2100 @#7802 = V
2110 T = 2
2120 GOSUB 1000
2130 D = 200
2140 IF(@#7800<>#FF)OR
(D<95)GOT
2150 @(N + P) = V
2160 CLEAR
2170 GOTO 290
2200 @(0+P) = V
2210 GOTO 2040
2310 REM START A LOOP
2320 REM START A LOOP
2330 Q = @#7802 AND #20
2340 IF Q = GOTO 2560
2350 P =
2360 REM START A LOOP
2370 P = P + 1
2380 @ #7802 =#09
2390 DELAY 100
2400 @ #7802 =
2410 Q=@#7802AND#20
2420 IFQ = GOTO 2540
2430 IF P<> 5 GOTO 2520
2440 @ #7802 =#06
2450 DELAY 1000
2460 @ #7802 = #09
2470 T = 1
2480 GOSUB 1000
2490 DELAY 100
2500 @ #7802 =
2510 P =
2520 REM END HERE
2530 GOTO 2360
2540 REM EXIT TO HERE
2550 GOTO 2320
2560 REM EXIT TO HERE
2570 X = #04
2580 GOSUB 1100
2590 DELAY 1000
2600 @ #7803 = #98
2610 GOTO 2310
2620 REM EXIT TO HERE
END OF PROGRAM
Math function
Go forward
Test for tape sense
100) Check exit conditions
Short wait
Repeat this Loop
Charge maintain routine
Wait T seconds subroutine
Turn on a bit @#7801
Turn off a bit @#7801
Bumper pressed
Sonar treated as bumper #1
Check experience block
Try action
Pick random action
Pick another
Try action
Number of whole seconds
Go wait
Cancel sonar test
Not successful
Successful
Clear variables
Back to main program
Not successful
Begin A Loop
Begin A Loop
Test for charger contact
Exit if charger sensed
Initialize
Begin A Loop
Increment Loop count
Go forward
Short wait
Stop all motion
Test for charger contact
Exit if charger sensed
Make a comparison
Reverse
Short wait
Go forward
Number of whole seconds
Go wait
Milliseconds to wait
Stop all motion
. Initialize
Fall through to here
Repeat this Loop
Repeat this Loop
Turn on LED 2
Go turn on a bit
Short wait
Initialize I/O
Repeat this Loop
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BYTE January 1984 129
'Rover, Fetch a Dozen #9 Ratchets'
by Nelson Winkless
Personal robots have come a long way
technically in the last few years. Advances
in digital electronics have made it -practical
to build compact sensory, information-pro-
cessing, and control systems that can ride
in self-powered carts that aren't too large
or heavy. The laboratory curiosities that
have been rolling around research institu-
tions and a few home workshops have
become today's affordable "personal robots"
loaded with potential. But potential for
what?
A case has been made for using robots
as household pets. They can be compan-
ions, health monitors, entertainers, com-
municators, and protectors, given a lot of
hardware and software development that
robot enthusiasts now are beginning to pro-
vide in increasing quantity. Pets are highly
valued in our society, and the reasons for
keeping dogs and cats around the house
apply as well to keeping robots around the
house. The discussion of pets is worth-
while, but let us not dwell on it here.
Our society prizes things that are spe-
cifically useful. Robots will fare well if they
do useful work for people. Personal com-
puters now do work for people, and busi-
nesses have no trouble finding excuses to
buy them. Individuals have more difficul-
ty finding excuses; games are a weak ex-
cuse, keeping personal accounts is fairly fee-
ble, but word processing is pretty good.
Robots offer even fewer practical excuses for
their purchase, but their potential in the
long run exceeds that of personal com-
puters.
Just as the definition of the "personal"
computer remains cloudy, the definition of
"personal" robot is shrouded in uncertain-
ty. Indeed, while we have pretty well
agreed on what a computer is, we have by
no means agreed on what a rvbotis, so the
definition of a personal robot is doubly
obscure. Without pretending to settle
matters, I've come up with some guidelines
for distinguishing personal from nonper-
sonal robots. But first we must talk about
computers.
Before personal computers came among
us, we had only institutional computers.
They were owned by government agencies,
large businesses, and other organizations.
The work produced by the institutional
computer is looked upon as the work of the
organization. The personal computer, how-
ever, is looked upon as the implement of
an individual. That person uses the com-
puter as if it were a pencil, a pocket
calculator, or a telephone. The individual,
not the organization, is responsible for the
work produced by that personal instru-
ment, even when the individual is operat-
ing in an institutional setting. There's no
ceremony involved in using the personal
computer, no labored allocation of
resources, no meetings, no sign-offs (that
is, after the initial effort to get the com-
puter). The individual uses the machine
as casually as a pad of paper and is fully
responsible for what is produced.
The institutional robot is typically part
Text continued from page 125:
robot scripts, RB5X is instructed to
wait for a specified period of time
before going on to the next action.)
If the period is shorter than one sec-
ond, RCL computes a "DELAY nnn'/
where nnn is in milliseconds. Other-
wise, it calls an integer second delay
subroutine and, if necessary, com-
piles a DELAY for any fractional
period.
This is the general model for imple-
menting primitives of RCL. Of
course, many primitives are provided
to the RCL user, so the casual robot
user needn't get down to that level.
The next higher level of RCL
primitive is exemplified by:
HONK the horn for this many
seconds <1>
1 DoesTURNONHORN
2 and WAIT this many seconds
<1>
3 and TURN OFF HORN
4 and END
Again, we are not attempting here to
provide a complete explanation of
Savvy. We're merely showing the ap-
proach to using Savvy in RCL to
compile Tiny BASIC. Let us reiterate
that the casual RCL user never sees
of a production system. The machine's
work can be changed by changing its pro-
gram, but it is used as part of a larger
scheme, worked out and administered by
an organization. The personal robot will
be identified with an individual who is
responsible for its actions, misbehavior, and
good deeds. The individual will get credit
and blame for its performance, as does the
user of an Apple. (Am I my robot's keeper?
Yes.)
Personal robots represent the convergence
of two lines of technical development-
automobiles (in the sense of "self-moving"
systems) and computers. You might think
of personal robots as mobile machines to
which we are now finally adding flexible
automatic guidance and control systems.
You might think of robots primarily as com-
puters that can move around. You might
also think of them as artificial animals,
neither vehicles nor information handlers
but self-serving systems that internet with
their environment in a way that enables
their own survival; in essence, a new class
of machine.
What practical excuse can we find for
getting acquainted with personal robots?
Well, let's go back to "automation."
Technologists have been working on fac-
tory automation for a long time and mak-
ing good headway. The automated office
began with word processors, communica-
tions equipment, personal computers, etc.
Office automation has been most effective
in small enterprises, where one personal
the compiled Tiny BASIC code unless
by choice. Indeed, he never has to see
the comparatively plain-language
Savvy tasks. The whole point of RCL
is to give the robot operator a simple
means for telling RB5X what to do.
The mechanism outlined above does
that.
By way of demonstration, the 17-
line RCL routine in listing 1 compiles
the 262-line Tiny BASIC routine in
listing 2. RCL with Savvy is new and
will clearly never be "complete," but
it serves its immediate purposes well,
and RB Robot is developing applica-
tions programs in RCL to put RB5X
through a lot of paces.
130 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
computer, such as an Apple, serves many
functions: production scheduling, word
processing, bookkeeping, inventory control,
mailing-list management, and so forth.
In the shop or office, the personal robot
can become a strange combination of un-
complaining menial and brilliant infor-
mant. Imagine a scenario along these lines:
You're running a small assembly plant. Ten
or 15 workers take components, assemble
them into your products, package them,
and ship them to customers. The business
is not very complicated, but it depends
upon alertness, responsiveness, quality
control, and a smooth flow of production.
You add a robot to the staff. Give it a name,
something neutral to avoid social conflict.
Call this machine "Rover."
Rover learns the layout of the shop, the
schedules, the identities of other employees,
the social hierarchy, the protocols (who gets
out of whose way), and the rhythm of the
place.
People tend to drop small components.
In many cases, it's cheaper to toss out the
dropped stuff rather than collect and re-
sort it. Rover, however, can wander
around, pick the pieces up, and put them
away without any stir. This saves material,
breaks in the routine, dignity, and possibly
the job of an otherwise good employee who
is having a spell of dropping things.
"Hey, Rover, bring me a dozen #9
ratchets." Rover can. "Rover, take this up
to Norma in the front office and come right
back." Rover will. "Rover, let's take inven-
tory." And at this point, the robot can do
some things that people can't do. Not only
should Rover be able to trail around after
you, counting things, holding things, and
recording information; Rover should have
the complete inventory system in mind and
be able to comment on discrepancies, loom-
ing shortages, and changes in rates of use.
Indeed, Rover should have free access to
the inventory and order information
handled by the computer in the front of-
fice. Rover should know which orders are
in the works, which items are back-ordered,
and which are in oversupply. Rover should
have, and he should be able to com-
municate, all of the complex detail that the
shop manager cannot practically keep in
mind. Also, Rover should be perfectly will-
ing to sit up all night with the inventory
chores, sorting, counting, tidying, and
making burglars nervous.
"Rover, get the phone." The robot should
be able to handle calls at least as well as
the average answering machine, and might
even select among callers. ("If Mr. XYZ
calls, let me know at once") Furthermore,
Rover can carry the phone to you.
"Rover, I want to send a letter." Rover
should be able to plug in the keyboard and
the display for word processing and have
them ready when and where you want
them.
"Rover, has ABC Products ever bought
a Model Six from us?" The robot can be
a good database manager, offering state-of-
the-art facilities in Natural Query Lan-
guage for communicating with you. In-
deed, the robot can be loaded with infor-
mation and manipulate it on the spot if a
keyboard and display are available.
Rover becomes a useful hand around the
place, learning to do whatever is appropri-
ate at the moment and remembering how
to do that same job again later-. With ex-
perience, Rover grows increasingly valu-
able.
With the personal mbots currently avail-
able, how practical is this scenario? Not
very. Some of Rover's activities can be done
by commercial personal robots right now.
But how practical was an MITS Altair
computer with octal switch input, 4K bytes
of memory, cassette storage, and no
BASIC? Not very. A few years of serious
effort were needed to shape personal com-
puters into generally useful devices.
The same kind of effort will make per-
sonal robots handy. We've come a long way
already. The availability of a plain-lan-
guage control system brings Rover-like per-
formance closer to reality. Memory is get-
ting cheap, speech recognition and synthe-
sis are operating at a useful level, sensory
systems can be integrated nicely, and some
clever mechanical systems exist.
You may want to tell your personal robot
to fetch the paper and do those entertain-
ing things around the house that we con-
sider suitable activity for personal robots.
You may also want to tell it to knock out
a day's useful work in the shop.
The robots are willing; we have to learn
how to tell them what we want.
Summary
RCL and Savvy mark an improve-
ment over Tiny BASIC coding, of
course, but an improvement on Tiny
BASIC alone is a modest goal. The
programmer (and the robot) are still
dependent on programming
generated on an external computer
and downloaded to the robot. Ob-
viously, RB5X needs more brains
aboard, and a card is in development
that will enable programming in RCL
internally in RB5X. Also, sensory in-
put patterns can be learned by a Sav-
vy system and associated with ap-
propriate responses. RCL will
become more comprehensive with
time and experience, and the system
can be extended in many directions.
This has important implications for
robotics. One intriguing thing about
RCL is that it could work from the
same plain-language instructions to
compile programs in any language—
FORTRAN, assembly language,
whatever the object machine wants to
hear. An enriched RCL vocabulary
could control milling machines and
steel mills as well as RB5X and his
brethren. RCL with Savvy in its first
release is powerful. It seems capable
of becoming a general-purpose robot
language that can keep up with the
state of the art.B
Dan Prendergast is vice-president of research and
development at RB Robot Corporation, Bill Slade
is operating-systems manager at Excalibur Tech-
nologies Corporation, and Nelson Winkless is presi-
dent of ABQ Communications Corporation (Box
1432, Con-ales, NM 87048) and coauthor of 'Robots
on Your Doorstep.
TheRB5X robot is manufactured by RB
Robot Corporation, Suite 310, 18301 West
10th Ave., Golden, CO 80401, (303)
279-5525.
The Savvy Programming Language is
published by Excalibur Technologies Cor-
poration, FOB 26448, Albuquerque, NM
87125, (505) 242-3333.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 131
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BYTE January 1984 133
1984, the Year of the 32-bit
Microprocessor
Technological evolution continues at breakneck speed with the
coming of the supermicroprocessor
By the end of 1984, well have seen
32-bit microprocessors manufactured
by Data General Corporation (DG),
Digital Equipment Corporation
(DEC), Hewlett-Packard (HP), Inmos,
Intel, Motorola, National Semicon-
ductor, NCR, Western Electric, and
Zilog. In this article, I'll look at what
32-bit microprocessors are and what
they're going to be used for. Then I'll
look at certain details available about
the chips.
First, let's define our terms. A 32-bit
microprocessor has a full 32-bit archi-
tecture, a full 32-bit implementation,
and a 32-bit data path (bus) to mem-
ory. Because this definition is terse,
some explanation and examples are
in order.
Architecture. What is a micropro-
cessor's architecture? The term means
different things to different people
but, for this article, let's call it the in-
terface between the programmer and
the machine. Architecture defines the
set of accessible registers, the mem-
ory model, the instruction set, and
the addressing modes of the ma-
chines. In order to qualify as having
a full 32-bit architecture, the machine
must have the following features:
1. Data and address registers that are
32 bits wide.
by Richard Mateosian
2. An instruction set that fully sup-
ports 32-bit data types.
3. Indexes and other address modi-
fiers used in the machine's ad-
dressing modes that have 32-bit
representations.
Now, I don't mean to quibble about
a few bits here and there. For ex-
ample, the DEC \AX, generally ac-
knowledged to have a 32-bit architec-
ture, devotes the uppermost bits of
addresses to special purposes; the ac-
tual address fields are smaller than
32 bits wide. Furthermore, many
32-bit architectures provide for com-
pact forms of addressing or address
modifiers using fewer than 32 bits,
but these are in addition to, not in-
stead of, the full 32-bit forms.
Full support of 32-bit data types is
another deceptively simple idea. At
the very least, it means that 32-bit
quantities can be moved with a single
instruction, and the usual arithmetic
and logical operations (e.g., ADD,
SHIFT, NOT) can be applied to 32-bit
operands to produce 32-bit results.
Problems arise with multiplication
and division operations. When two
32-bit quantities are multiplied, the
result may have as many as 64 signifi-
cant bits. Similarly, because division
is the inverse of multiplication, you
would expect, in a 32-bit architecture,
to be able to divide a 64-bit quantity
by a 32-bit quantity as long as the
quotient and remainder could each
be represented in 32 bits. One popu-
lar microprocessor, widely regarded
as having a 32-bit architecture, limits
multiplication to 16-bit quantities so
that results can be represented in 32
bits. The same microprocessor en-
ables division of a 32-bit quantity by
a 16-bit quantity, but only if the quo-
tient can be represented in 16 bits.
Implementation. It is easier to under-
stand architectural anomalies such as
those mentioned above in terms of
implementation. The first 16-bit
microprocessors (8086, Z8000, 68000)
were implemented with 16-bit data
paths and computational units, even
though two of these microprocessors
included many 32- bit architectural
features. Similarly, Intel's iAPX432,
which featured an innovative 32-bit
architecture, was implemented with
a 16-bit computational unit and 16-bit
internal data paths.
Let's look at how implementation
can account for the architectural
restrictions I've just described. Sup-
pose you are designing a micropro-
cessor with a 16-bit computation unit
(also known as an arithmetic and
logic unit or ALU). That means that
134 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Photo 1: The Motorola MC68020. (Photo courtesy of Motorola Inc.)
a basic operation of the ALU will be
to accept two 16-bit inputs and to pro-
duce a 32-bit product. If you want
32-bit registers and an instruction
that multiplies two 32-bit quantities
to obtain a 64-bit result, you're going
to have to devise some sort of inter-
nal hardware "subroutine" that
breaks the multiplication down into
16-bit multiplications and additions.
These subroutines are an endless
source of problems when you imple-
ment interrupt handling or virtual
memory. They are not appreciably
faster than subroutines in software
that implement the same operations
using basic ALU operations. Thus,
you will be tempted to match the ar-
chitecture to the implementation,
putting in a multiplication restriction
like the one mentioned earlier. This
causes little inconvenience to cus-
tomers, but it gives a marketing de-
partment nightmares when it tries to
convince the world that a micropro-
cessor has a true 32-bit architecture.
Data path (bus) to memory. This is
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 135
the easy part of the definition of 32-
bit microprocessor. There must be 32
(or more) I/O (input/output) lines
used for the transfer of data between
the central processing unit and mem-
ory. The effect of this requirement is
to increase memory-bus bandwidth
(the amount of data that can be trans-
ferred on the memory bus per unit
of time). In simple systems (just a
central processing unit and memory),
this can increase performance only
when the central processor can han-
dle instructions and data faster. In
more complex systems, an important
benefit of increased bus bandwidth
is the ability to use multiple central
processing units, direct memory ac-
cess (DMA) transfers, and high-
speed graphics processing without
degrading computational power. By
using the bus substantially less than
all of the time, a 32-bit micropro-
cessor contributes to overall per-
formance in computer-aided design
(CAD) systems, engineering worksta-
tions, and even mainframe-level com-
puters.
Data buses of the 32-bit type are a
relatively new addition to the micro-
processor scene. Chips like Intel's
iAPX432 and National Semiconduc-
tor's NS16032 have full 32-bit architec-
tures but 16-bit data buses. As this is
being written, system designers can-
not yet buy production quantities of
any microprocessor with a 32-bit data
path to memory.
What Are 32-bit Chips Good For?
The preceding section hints at the
strengths of 32-bit microprocessors.
The year 1984 will see many an-
nouncements of CAD systems and
engineering workstations based on
32-bit microprocessors. General-pur-
pose computers will appear with
mainframe performance at substan-
tially less than mainframe cost. High-
end personal computers will follow.
As competition and the "learning
curve" of system design around 32-bit
machines drive down prices, 32-bit
microprocessors (and their architec-
turally compatible 16- and 8-bit
relatives) will become the standard
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computing.
Aside from the performance ad-
vantages that come from higher
memory-bus bandwidth and 32-bit
implementation, the main benefit
32-bit microprocessors bring to com-
puter users is architectural. Most
32-bit microprocessor architectures
are designed to support high-level
language programming.
Each 32-bit microprocessor ad-
dresses the issue of high-level lan-
guage programming in a different
way, and we'll look at the details later
in the discussion of individual prod-
ucts. The basic support features are:
large, uniform address spaces; sup-
port for virtual memory; addressing
modes that support high-level lan-
guages; and instruction-set sym-
metry with respect to operations,
operand size, and operand address-
ing modes.
Another benefit of the features of
the new microprocessors is that they
can use standard operating systems.
Advances in computer science have
led to the inclusion of operating-sys-
tem support features within the new
architectures, and the existence of
"standard" operating systems like
Unix has made the design of specific
support features easier.
The Lineup
I want to discuss every 32-bit
microprocessor that will be available
or announced this year, but this in-
volves a little guesswork. Much of
this information is based on official
releases, technical articles, and reli-
able inside information. Other parts
of the story are based on rumors,
used only when that's the best infor-
mation available, and then only
when I believe the rumors.
Here (in alphabetical order by man-
ufacturer's name) are the 32-bit
microprocessors:
•DCs Microeagle
•DEC's Micro VAX 1
•HP's Focus (company's internal
name)
•Inmos' Transputer
•Intel's iAPX386
•Motorola's MC68020
•National Semiconductor's NS32032
136 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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138 byte January 1984 Circle 379 on inquiry card.
•NCR's NCR/32
•Western Electric's WE32000
•Zilog's Z80000
DG announced its Microeagle in
November 1983. DEC's Micro VAX 1
was announced last October. The HP
Focus (no official name or part num-
ber) is the heart of the HP-9000 com-
puter system, but it is not and will
not be available as a separate prod-
uct. The Intel iAPX386 has not been
announced yet, but the company is
expected to do so in late 1984. Moto-
rola has announced its MC68020; al-
though no detailed specifications are
available, samples have been prom-
ised for the middle of this year. The
NCR/32 chip set, like the National
Semiconductor NS32032 and its as-
sociated chips, is commercially avail-
able. Western Electric has incor-
porated its WE32000, formerly
known as the Bellmac-32 and opera-
tional since 1981, into at least one ter-
minal. The chip, used internally by
the company and in several \AX-class
minicomputers, is not available as a
separate product, but Western Elec-
tric has not publicly ruled out that
possibility. Zilog's Z80000 has been
announced, detailed specifications
are available, and samples have been
slated for release this year.
In addition to these products, there
is an important experimental family
of microprocessors called RISC ma-
chines. (RISC is an acronym for re-
duced-instruction-set computer. )
These 32-bit microprocessors have
been developed at universities like
Stanford and the University of
California at Berkeley. They are not
commercial products, but the ideas
propelling them will profoundly in-
fluence future commercial micropro-
cessors. The Inmos Transputer, an-
nounced in November 1983, reflects
this influence.
Now let's look at these micropro-
cessors in greater detail. Then I'll
make a few comparisons.
The DG Microeagle. This is a VLSI
(very large-scale integration) version
of the machine whose soul Tracy Kid-
der described. The Microeagle chip
set's central processing unit executes
register-to-register operations in a
400-nanosecond cycle time and uses
two cycles for memory-to-register
moves. The central processor uses a
floating-point coprocessor to handle
64-bit addition in four cycles. (See the
November 3, 1983 issue of Electronics
for more information.)
The DEC Micro VAX 1. The VAX
is a well-known 32-bit architecture
that has been realized in two "super-
mini" implementations, VAX-11/780
and VAX-11/750, and in a more mod-
est VAX-11/730 version. The Micro
VAX 1 is an implementation of the
same architecture in a set of VLSI cir-
cuits, supplied on a printed circuit
board like the LSI-11 implementation
of the PDP-11 architecture.
A key feature of the VAX line of
computers is its total upward and
downward compatibility. In this
Micro VAX 1, some of the "commer-
cial" instructions have been elimi-
nated, but traps have been provided
to enable their emulation in software.
The VAX architecture is well known.
The Hewlett-Packard Focus. A
number of articles have been pub-
lished about the process technology
and design methodology of the HP
Focus, but HP deliberately avoids
revealing details of the architecture.
Enough is available from technical ar-
ticles, however, to get the general
idea.
Basically, HP set out to design a set
of VLSI components that would work
together to form fully integrated
32-bit multiprocessing systems. It
took seven years; when HP finished,
it had designed six VLSI circuits and
a special mounting board that
doubles as a heat sink. The six cir-
cuits are: central processor, I/O pro-
cessor, memory controller, RAM
(random-access read/write memory),
ROM (read-only memory), and
clock. Each circuit is fabricated in a
1-micron double-metal NMOS (neg-
ative-channel metal-oxide semicon-
ductor) technology, designed to run
at 18 MHz. A typical system block
diagram is shown in figure 1.
The most complex of the circuits is
the central processing unit, which
contains about 450,000 transistors. Its
230 instructions are microcoded in
9216 38-bit words of control ROM,
fetched and executed at an 18-MHz
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January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 139
MEMORY-PROCESSOR BUS
CPU
SYNC
IOP
O-
MC
MC
-O
o
20 RAMS 8 ROMS
Figure 1: A block diagram of the Hewlett-Packard Focus microprocessor.
clock rate, A 38-bit microinstruction
is executed every 55 nanoseconds.
The central processing unit's instruc-
tion set is stack based, in the style of
some Burroughs machines. Many in-
structions operate on the top ele-
ments of the stack, leaving the result
on the stack. To optimize these in-
structions, the top elements of the
stack are automatically kept in reg-
isters, with transfers between these
registers and the stack segment of
memory carried out without explicit
machine instructions.
The central processor contains an
extremely powerful ALU capable of
executing a 32-bit register-to-register
integer addition or a right or left shift
of up to 31 bits in one microcycle (55
nanoseconds). Division of 64-bit
operands in IEEE (Institute of Elec-
trical and Electronics Engineers) for-
mat, the longest ALU operation, re-
quires 16 microseconds.
The memory model for a process
executing on the Focus central pro-
cessing unit consists of code, stack,
global data, and external data seg-
ments. Processes can have multiple
data segments, which can be demand
paged. Code is also demand loaded,
an entire segment at a time.
HP estimates the execution speed
of the Focus central processing unit
to be approximately 1 MIPS (million
instructions per second) on typical
instruction mixes. That is, a typical
instruction requires approximately 18
microcycles for its execution. Al-
though execution and operand fetch-
ing from memory are pipelined, the
central processor has no cache or TLB
(translation lookaside buffer, a cache
of address translations used for
memory addressing). Nonetheless,
the Focus central processing unit uses
only about 30 percent of the 18-mega-
byte/second memory-bus band-
width, so that substantial perfor-
mance improvement can be obtained
with a configuration that has mul-
tiple central processing units. This is
exactly what HP intended, and the
instruction set of the central pro-
cessor is designed to support parallel
processors.
The Focus instruction set features
high-level language support, includ-
ing a Try/Recover facility based on
stack markers. The Focus is intended
to be programmed in HP's "Modular
Pascal" implementation language,
Modcal. Even the lowest level of the
company's HPUX (HP's version of
Unix) kernel is programmed in
Modcal.
I'm not going into detail about the
other circuits of the Focus chip set,
but one example shows how these
circuits work together. The central
processing unit can issue up to three
addresses on its multiplexed address/
data bus before receiving the corres-
ponding data from memory. The data
words appear on the address/data
lines at precise, predictable times, re-
quiring perfect synchronization of the
activities of the central processor,
memory controller, and memory cir-
cuits. In fact, 25 of the central pro-
cessing unit's 83 "pins" are dedicated
to control lines for communication
with other Focus chip set circuits.
(The remaining pins are the 32 ad-
dress/data lines and the 26 lines for
power, ground, and clock signals.)
The Inmos Transputer. This is a
RISC-like machine scheduled for
release in late 1984. The name of the
chip indicates Inmos intends to make
it as ubiquitous as the transistor. The
Transputer will be a single-chip,
250,000-transistor device built in
2.0-micron CMOS (complementary
metal-oxide semiconductor) technol-
ogy. It will include processor, mem-
ory, and communications circuitry.
The Transputer is designed to be
used in multiprocessor systems and
data-flow machines programmed in
Inmos' Occam language.
The Intel iAFX386. Some of this in-
formation is based on rumors, but it's
what I believe to be true about this
chip:
•it's an extension of 8086 and 286 ar-
chitectures
•it has 32-bit offsets in data segments
•it's implemented in CMOS technol-
ogy to run at 16 MHz
•it has speeded up instructions from
iAPX286
•it has an on-chip instruction cache
•it contains 270,000 transistors
•it features on-chip paging plus 286-
style segmented virtual memory
•it has new instructions for vectors
and bit fields
•its accompanying numeric coproces-
sor is much faster than the 80287
•its improved bus supports fault
tolerance
The Motorola MC68020. This is the
32-bit member of the MC68000
family. Very little has appeared in
print about the features of this cen-
tral processing unit, which is sched-
uled to be sampled in 1984. Motorola
personnel have talked freely at recent
conferences and trade shows, and
many details have been presented to
current 68000 users. I'll summarize
the industry scuttlebutt about the
140 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
m S-iUU ( n ,
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68020.
The MC68020 is a 32-bit version of
the widely used MC68000. It is
basically upward compatible— most
68000 code can run on a 68020, but
not vice versa. Because the 68000 ar-
chitecture has already been pre-
sented in a series of articles by Tom
Starnes (April, May, and June 1983
BYTE), 111 concentrate on the im-
provements.
Although most of the instruction-
set changes are in the area of address-
ing, specific new instructions have
been added for packing and unpack-
ing of BCD (binary-coded decimal)
strings, manipulation of bit fields,
and 32-bit multiplication and divi-
sion. Several new addressing modes
have been added, and 32-bit dis-
placements are supported.
Because the 68020 maintains the
68000 requirement that instructions
be multiples of 16 bits in length and
aligned on 16-bit boundaries in mem-
ory, extensions to 68000 addressing
involve the addition of one or more
16-bit words to the basic instruction.
This additional space makes possible
the encoding of a large number of
new addressing forms. These forms
include 16-bit and 32-bit displace-
ments, elimination of the base or
index register operand in addressing
modes that usually require one, and
an additional level of indirection,
either before or after indexing.
Besides instruction-set changes,
the 68020 has a number of other new
features. The most important are an
on-chip instruction cache, dynamic
bus sizing, a coprocessor interface (to
support the MC68881 floating-point
coprocessor), better exception han-
dling, virtual memory and bus fault
support, and a "barrel shifter" to
speed the execution of shifts, multi-
plication and division, bit field, and
other instructions.
The 68020 will be fabricated in a
new process that is about 90 percent
CMOS, with NMOS technology
used for critical circuits. The chip
contains approximately 170,000 tran-
sistors and will be supplied at speeds
of 16 and 20 MHz. Motorola estimates
that at equal clock speeds, the 68020
will be about twice as fast as a 68000
on typical programs.
The National Semiconductor
NS32032. This is the 32-bit member
of the NS16000 family, which consists
of the NS08032, NS16032, and
NS32032. The NS08032 and NS16032
are the 8-bit and 16-bit bus versions.
As in the VAX line, all central pro-
cessing units in the NS16000 family
share the same 32-bit architecture.
Except for the data bus, they also
share the same internal implementa-
tion. BYTE readers had the oppor-
tunity to learn about the NS16000
family architecture in an article by
Glen Leedy (April 1983, page 53), so
I won't repeat that material.
The NS16000 family is distin-
guished by its mainframe-on-a-chip
architecture, featuring virtual mem-
ory, floating-point support, and a
highly regular, compactly encoded
instruction set designed for high-level
language support. The NS32032 is
designed to work with a memory-
management unit (MMU), the
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142 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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BYTE January 1984 143
ADD/DATA CONTROLS 8 STATUS
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INSTRUCTIONS 32
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Figure 2: A block diagram of the NS32032 central processing unitftvm National Semiconductor.
NS16082, and a floating-point unit,
the NS16081. Floating-point and
memory-management control in-
structions are integrated into the cen-
tral processor and communicate with
the support chips through a slave
processor protocol. This arrangement
enables transparent integration of the
three chips into one.
Figure 2 is a block diagram of the
NS32032 central processing unit. An
important feature of this chip is the
8-byte instruction prefetch queue.
This small FIFO (first-in/first-out)
buffer lets the central processing unit
make 32-bit aligned transfers from
the instruction stream, even though
NS32032 instructions vary in size and
have no alignment restrictions. This
8-byte buffer provides another
benefit, achieved in other central pro-
cessors with a much more costly on-
chip instruction cache. By letting in-
struction fetching proceed asyn-
chronously from execution, instruc-
tions load as fast as necessary, up to
the full bandwidth of the memory
bus. Because the compactly encoded
NS32032 instructions load faster than
they execute even with external mem-
ory management, the central pro-
cessing unit executes in-line code at
full speed. In fact, in typical applica-
tions, the NS32032 central processing
unit occupies less than 50 percent of
the available bus bandwidth, making
it suitable for complex systems con-
taining multiple central processors,
DMA transfers, and high-speed
graphics.
The NS32032 is implemented in a
3.5-micron NMOS process and con-
tains about 70,000 transistors. It runs
at 10 MHz. A CMOS version and ver-
sions running at higher clock speeds
are planned for 1984. The machine
uses a three-stage pipeline for in-
struction execution: the first stage is
the loader, which removes instruc-
tions from the queue; the second
stage is the preprocessor, which de-
codes instructions; the final stage is
the microcode-execution unit. Micro-
code executes at the rate of one
microinstruction per clock cycle (100
nanoseconds).
The NCR NCR/32. This micropro-
cessor chip set is quite different from
all of the other microprocessors dis-
cussed in this article. It is designed
to be externally microprogrammed to
emulate other computers, principal-
ly medium-sized IBM mainframes
like the System 370. The chip set con-
sists of:
•the NCR 32-000 CPC, the central
processing unit. It contains 40,000
transistors and is fabricated in a
3-micron silicide NMOS process. It
runs with a 13.3-MHz clock, with in-
ternal machine cycles occupying two
clock cycles (150 nanoseconds). The
16-bit microinstructions, read from a
128K-byte external storage unit, select
95-bit words from an internal ROM
to control 179 operations, mostly
register-to-register arithmetic and
logical operations on 4-bit, 8-bit,
16-bit, 32-bit, and field data types.
Microinstructions are executed in a
three-stage pipeline (fetch, interpret,
execute). Eight 16-bit jump registers
support a rich set of conditional
operations at the microcode level,
and special set-up microinstructions
facilitate IBM System 370 emulation,
•the NCR 32-010 ATC, the memory
management unit. In addition to ad-
144 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
F
UNIX, with change.
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• TWICE THE NUMBER OF USERS as •
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PROGRAMS. Idris occupies less than 1 .5
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• MORE TASKS RUN SIMULTANEOUSLY
because Idris requires less memory.
Typically, 50 KB for the Kernel plus 50 KB
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Fortran compilation.
provided by use of Whitesmiths'
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difference.
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DEC Rainbow.
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PERFORMANCE BOOSTER
ADDRESS TRANSLATOR
INSTRUCTION
STORAGE
UNIT
(128 K BYTES)
SYSTEM
CLOCK
CONTROL
EXTENDED-
ARITHMETIC
CHIP
32-020
ADDRESS-
TRANSLATION
CHIP
32-010
. . CENTRAL- .
•32-BIT BUSi;
m
MEMORY INTERFACE
MAIN MEMORY
Figure 3: A configuration of the NCR/32 System.
SYSTEM-
INTERFACE
CHIP
32-100
SYSTEM-
TRANSMITTER
1
CLOCK
1
SYSTEM-
INTERFACE
RECEIVER
dress translation and access protec-
tion, this chip provides memory-re-
fresh control, error-checking and cor-
rection (ECC) logic, a time-of-day reg-
ister, an interval timeout interrupt,
and an interrupt on writes to one
specified virtual address. Sixteen
translation registers support map-
ping of 32-bit or 24-bit virtual ad-
dresses into 24-bit physical ad-
dresses, using page sizes of IK, 2K,
or 4K bytes.
•the NCR 32-020 EAC, the "booster"
chip for arithmetic operations. It sup-
ports IBM-compatible single- and
double-precision binary and floating-
point arithmetic, packed and un-
packed decimal storage, and format
conversions. A single-precision float-
ing-point addition takes approxi-
mately 1.6 microseconds,
•the NCR 32-500 SIC, which inter-
faces the 24-megabyte/second pro-
cessor memory bus to slower periph-
erals and to other systems.
The configuration of an NCR/32 sys-
tem is shown in figure 3. No bench-
mark data has been published, but
NCR estimates performance of the
NCR/32 at approximately four times
that of a 10-MHz 68000.
The Western Electric WE32000.
This microprocessor was designed
from the start to support Unix and C.
Although a great deal has been pub-
lished about the process technology,
electrical design, emulation tech-
niques, and testability of the
WE32000, few details are available
about its architecture. The basic chip
set consists of a central processing
unit and an MMU, each realized in
2.5-micron "domino" CMOS and
running at 8 MHz. Versions meant to
run at much higher speeds have been
FETCH
CONTROL
«
MAIN
CONTROL
designed but are not officially ac-
knowledged by Western Electric. The
central processing unit contains
146,000 transistors, and the MMU
contains 92,000. Figure 4 shows a
block diagram of the central process-
ing unit.
The WE32000 instruction set fea-
tures a high degree of orthogonality
of operation, addressing mode, and
operand size selection. All binary
arithmetic operations are available in
two-address and three-address
forms, and unary operations all have
two-address forms. In general, the op
code specifies the operand size, with
all operands extended to 32 bits
before operations are performed.
When operands of different sizes are
operated upon, an explicit type spec-
ification in an "expanded type" ad-
dressing mode overrides the operand
size implicit in the op code.
EXECUTE
CONTROL
INSTRUCTION BUS;;
16-BYTE
INSTRUCTION
QUEUE
ADDRESS
ARITHMETIC
UNIT
17 32-BIT
REGISTERS
INPUT/
OUTPUT
t
C
L
PROGRAM
STATUS
WORD
BARREL
SHIFTER
ARITHMETIC
LOGIC UNIT
; EXECUTION BUS
! DATA BUS \
I
I
Figure 4: A block diagram of Western Electric's WE32000.
146 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
OOmPUTER WAREHOUSE
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24 23
LOGICAL ADDRESS
TABLE
DESCRIPTOR
REGISTERS
REAL ADDRESS
Figure 5: The Z80000 address translation scheme.
The WE32000 provides bit-field and
string instructions. All strings ter-
minate with a zero byte, as is stan-
dard for C programs. Floating-point
instructions are also included in the
instruction set, but these are in-
tended to be executed by an external
floating-point chip. Western Electric
has not announced plans for such a
chip.
Procedure linkage on the WE32000
is similar to that of the VAX. All six-
teen 32-bit registers can be referred to
in the machine's addressing modes.
Seven of them, however, are given
special functions; a program counter
(PC), an interrupt stack pointer, a
process control block pointer, a pro-
cessor status word, a stack pointer
(SP), a frame pointer (FP), and an
argument pointer (AP). The PC, SP,
FP, and AP play special roles in pro-
cedure linkage. In addition, the SAVE
instruction, executed upon entry to
a procedure, lets registers R3 through
R8 be saved in a single instruction.
Registers RO through R2 are intended
for passage of information between
caller and callee, and they are accord-
ingly not modified by the procedure-
calling and return sequences.
The WE32000 supports multitask-
ing operating systems like Unix.
Without getting too detailed, here's
the essence of multiple-task, or pro-
cess, support. First, the machine sup-
ports four privilege levels and a "con-
trolled transfer" mechanism (similar
to the system call on machines with
only User and Supervisor modes) for
moving among them. A process,
however, has only one execution
stack, which makes the passing of
arguments between levels quite pain-
less. Furthermore, because the kernel
is assumed to be in the address space
of every process, sharing of buffers
between the user and kernel routines
makes copying unnecessary. Finally,
the context of a process (central pro-
cessor registers and address transla-
tion tables) is stored in process con-
trol blocks in memory, and special
central processor instructions imple-
ment rapid switching between pro-
cesses. This mechanism is also used
for interrupts, which are treated like
processes called unexpectedly.
The Zilog Z80000. This is the 32-bit
member of the Z8000 family. An up-
ward-compatible extension of the
Z8000 architecture, it features dynam-
nic bus sizing, sixteen 32-bit general
registers, on-chip data and instruc-
tion cache (256 bytes), and on-chip
memory management using mem-
ory-based tables with an automat-
ically managed 16-entry TLB. The
address-mapping scheme enables
either linear addressing or several
upward-compatible extensions of
Z8000 segmented addressing.
Demand-paged virtual memory is
supported with lK-byte page size.
Figure 5 shows the address transla-
tion method.
The machine is implemented in a
2.0-micron NMOS technology de-
signed to enable speeds up to 25
MHz. The initial version runs at 10
MHz. Internal machine cycles take
two clock cycles. Zilog estimates that
with a high-performance memory
configuration, typical programs will
execute at the rate of one instruction
every 6.8 clock cycles, resulting in an
execution rate of 1.47 MIPS. Both bus
size and bus timing are dynamically
controllable, with accesses adhering
to the Z-BUS protocols used by
Zilog's Z8000 peripheral family.
Nibble-mode (burst) transfers sup-
port prefetching of instructions into
the cache. Like the Z8000, the Z80000
is designed for use with an external
floating-point chip, which Zilog plans
to make available in 1985.
Which Is the Best One?
Of course, I won't touch that ques-
tion with a 10-foot pole, but further
discussion of the 32-bit chips may be
useful. The first interesting point is
that the microprocessors fall into
groups. For example, the WE32000
and the NS32032 show many simi-
larities, and both are close to the
VAX. Similarly, the MC68020 and the
148 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
\j$MM.
Remote Intelligence
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For more information on how Rydex ICs can
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PREVENT THE DISASTER
OF HEAD CRASH AND
DROPOUT.
The war against dust and dirt
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up your equipment, and
everytime you replace a
cassette, disk or drive
filter, be sure to use Dust-Off II;
it counteracts dust, gritandlint
Otherwise you're flirting with
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Dust-Off II i s most effective
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Stat-Off II neutralizes dust-holding
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Don't let contamination dis-
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Stock up on Dust-Off II — the ad-
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Z80000 are closely parallel, both be-
ing upward-compatible extensions of
16-bit central processing units de-
signed in the PDP-11 tradition. The
HP Focus, with its architectural
heritage from the Burroughs line, is
unlike the other chips discussed
here. It's too early to know where to
place the iAPX386, but it's probably
closest to the Z80000 and the
MC68020. The NCR/32 family, with
its theme of emulation through exter-
nal microcode, is related to the RISC
machines, as is the Inmos Trans-
puter. These comparisons are meant
only as food for thought— don't make
too much of them.
Floating-point support is an impor-
tant issue. The overwhelming trend
is toward execution of IEEE-format
operations using a coprocessor chip.
Only the HP Focus does on-chip
floating-point operations. NCR/32
follows the IBM style of floating-point
math, different from the IEEE pro-
posed standard. The VAX also uses
its own formats, some similar to IEEE
formats.
Demand-paged virtual memory
seems to be a universally accepted
choice, using a separate memory-
management circuit. Only Zilog and
Intel use on-chip memory manage-
ment; Zilog's technique evolves from
the separate-chip approach, and In-
tel upgrades the rudimentary on-chip
memory management of the 8086
and 286.
Execution speed is a tricky area,
and I've been involved in enough
benchmark studies to know better
than to shoot from the hip here.
What's needed, once all of these
32-bit microprocessors are real, is a
comprehensive comparison study
like the one in EDN magazine's issue
of September 16, 1981. There is prob-
ably less than a factor of 4 between
the fastest and the slowest of these
microprocessors. All of the 32-bit
chips are a cut above the best 16-bit
microprocessors. ■
Richard Mateosian (2919 Forest Ave., Berkeley,
CA 94705) is the technical marketing manager for
the NS16000 family at National Semiconductor: He
is the author of Programming the Z8000, pub-
lished by Sybex in 1980, and Inside BASIC
Games, Sybex, 1981.
150 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 161 on inquiry card.
GIVE YOUR CHILD
THE PLATO EDGE IN ALGEBRA.
For use with the Apple II
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New PLATO® lessons in
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All PLATO micro courseware
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For a free catalog
See the growing line of PLATO
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notification when mail arrives. Just one
instruction sends a piece of mail to many
people. Gather mail in your "out basket" Auto-
matically send it later at lower long distance rates.
2 A TELEPHONE. Built right into
your workstation. With your own
alphabetic phone directory on the
screen. Automatic dialing. And redial-
ing. Using only the initials of the person you're
calling. A record of how much time is spent on
each call. Hands-free conversation through
a speaker phone. Two lines that can be used
simultaneously. Voice and data communica-
tions at the same time. And an interface with both
Mitel and other PBX's
Introducing Mitel Kontact J M The management workstation
that fully integrates virtually every day-to-day task. Commu-
nications, time management, computing, and so much more.
Plus the ability to do so many things simultaneously. Talk on
the phone at the same time you're on-line with your main-
frame computer at the same time you're checking your calendar
at the same time you're printing your sales forecast at the
same time... Compare the Mitel Kontact with any workstation
on the market. And make sure you compare prices, too. You'll
discover Kontact gives you much, much more for your money.
152 BYTE January 1984
Six NewMachines.
are it
4 A COMPUTER TERMINAL. Send
and receive information with your
company's IBM™ compatible or DEC™
compatible computer. Access Dow
Jones,™ The Source™ and other data banks.
The telephone line and modem are built right in.
Your Kontact memorizes the computer "lingo."
To make data communications as simple as any
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5 A PERSONAL COMPUTER. Pre
pare a budget, forecast sales, plan the
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to all the mathematical "what ifs" of your busi-
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discuss them on the telephone.
6 A WORD PROCESSOR. Whether
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m
MITEL
BUIIDING BETTER COA4MUNICATIONS
BYTE January 1984 153
Memory Cards: A New
Concept in Personal
Computing
These miniature microcomputers could become
the most popular portables
One fascinating new microcom-
puter has neither keyboard nor
power supply, and chances are that
you'll soon carry one in your wallet.
This type of memory card (also.called
a "smart card" or "chip card") is the
same size and shape as a credit card
and contains an embedded micro-
computer. Currently being test-mar-
by Mark Mills
keted in the United States and
Europe, memory cards are designed
to record and play back information
in a secure fashion.
Another type of memory card
doesn't have an embedded micro-
computer but instead has a special
coating on which information can be
encoded. Yet another type is not
card-shaped but resembles a fat
plastic key with a nonvolatile semi-
conductor memory embedded in it
(see photo 1). Throughout the rest of
this article, "memory card" will be
used to indicate all three types of
implementations.
Presently, the primary application
for memory cards is in the area of
Photo 1: Four memory cards incorporated into different carrier packages. The bottom three cards are active devices, containing embedded
microcomputers. Note the metal contact points on their surfaces (ok the "key," the contacts are between the ridges). The top card is a passive
device that uses an optical stripe for laser recording and playback.
154 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
.NEW PRODUCTS-
Before Johann Sebastian Bach developed
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you wanted to change keys. Very difficult.
Before Avocet introduced its family of
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BYTE January 1984 155
electronic funds transfer (EFT).
France has several trial programs
underway to demonstrate "electronic
money" using memory cards. For ex-
ample, videotex users may purchase
goods and services in their homes
using memory cards. In Italy, a semi-
conductor firm is manufacturing pro-
totype memory cards for pay tele-
phones. You buy a memory card with
a "preloaded" amount of money,
and, with each phone call, an
amount is deducted from the
memory card's balance. When the
amount reaches zero, the card is dis-
carded. (See the text box below.)
Other proposed uses for memory
cards include personal identification
(using physiological traits), driver's
licenses, ski-lift tickets, passports,
data recorders for pacemakers, hotel
door keys, input devices for com-
puter-controlled equipment, and ex-
tended memory for computers.
Memory-Card Technology
Memory cards are implemented
using three types of technologies:
monochip memory cards, multichip
memory cards, and optical-stripe
memory cards. A monochip memory
card has only one integrated circuit
(IC), which includes a single-chip
computer that holds a maximum of
about 4000 bits of information in pro-
grammable read-only memory
(PROM). This PROM is used to
Bits
Characters (bytes)
Reusable memory
Optical stripe
16M
2M
no
PROM
128K
16K
no
. EEROM
64K
8K
yes
EPROM
128K
16K
no
Magnetic stripe
1.7K
212
yes
Table 1: A comparison
of the
storage capacities
of all the types of memory cards.
record and play back the "transac-
tions" of the memory card. A PROM-
based card could be considered dis-
posable because once its memory is
full, the memory cannot record new
transactions. To overcome this draw-
back, manufacturers are now in-
vestigating the use of electrically
erasable read-only memory (EEROM).
Although this technology eliminates
the "use until full" problem, it may
increase problems related to card
security and integrity.
A memory card with more than
one IC is called a multichip card. The
multichip card is more versatile
because it has a memory capacity of
approximately 16,000 bits of informa-
tion and does not require the high
degree of IC customization the
monochip card does. With the im-
provement of packaging techniques
and IC technology, multichip cards
with large memory capacity will be-
come commonplace.
An optical-stripe memory card has
a special surface similar to the coating
on a videodisk rather than embedded
integrated circuitry. A single optical
stripe the size of the magnetic stripe
on a credit card can hold 16 million
bits of information; a similar size
magnetic stripe on a typical credit
card holds only about 1700 bits of in-
formation. Table 1 provides a com-
parison of storage densities for
memory cards.
A memory card that incorporates a
microcomputer is known as an active
memory card. This type of card has
some degree of internal intelligence
that enables it to make decisions
about its interactions with the outside
world. These decisions can range
from the security of its stored infor-
mation to initiating the proper se-
quence of steps required to enable a
transaction to be processed.
Regardless of the nature of the in-
teraction, the active memory card
It's in the Cards
Approximately five years ago, the French
Telecomms Administration initiated a co-
hesive research and development program
from which memory cards and other re-
lated products have evolved. Memory cards
were originally designed to exploit
integrated-circuit technology in a credit-
card-shaped package for electronic funds
transfer (EFT). This technology is being
developed to replace check writing as a
method of payment. With the astronomical
number of checks written annually, it is
not hard to see why a less labor-intensive
method of payment is being developed.
Presently, several test sites in the United
States and France are studying this con-
cept in conjunction with videotex systems.
Memory cards are also being evaluated
in lieu of money for pay telephones. Ad-
vantages to using telephone memory cards
include no coins to collect from coin boxes,
less vandalism (because no money is kept
in the telephone itself), and instant collec-
tion of payment for services. Current prob-
lems these test markets must resolve are the
matter of contact reliability between the
memory card and the transaction terminal
and the integrity of memory-card security
systems. These issues, as well as that of
public acceptance, must be resolved before
a full-scale memory-card application for
EFT can be implemented. It will probably
be several years before memory cards are
widely in use.
At present, there are no in-place systems
for memory cards in the U.S. However, the
U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to
soon choose a contractor for a demonstra-
tion of a memory-card system that could
replace the paper coupons in the food-
stamp program. The cards would be issued
with the equivalent amount of money in
memory, thereby eliminating the paper;
paperwork, printing, and handling of
stamps for the approximately 8 million
households in the food-stamp program.
Another area in which memory cards are
being used is to augment or replace "dog
tags" currently used in the military. The
memory card could not only keep the tradi-
tional name, rank, and serial number data
but also store a soldier's training history,
medical records, and so on.
156 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Our new Color/Scribe™ printer:
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©Copyright 1983. Anadcx, Inc.
MAULIN
FORTHE WORLD
The more you know printers,
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Circle 26 on inquiry card. BYTE January 1984 157
jar th«
IBM
The most comprehensive |
statistics and graphics
ever developed for
and sophisticated
I database workstation
the personal computer.
Years of research, development, and
field testing have resulted in the
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STATPRO allows easy access to its
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The strength of STATPRO is found
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Statistics Modules Menu
A) DESCRIPTION
B) REGRESSION
C) ANOVA
D) TIME SERIES
E) MIILTIVAR
(ESC» Exit to Master Menu
Choice ->[ ]
Transformations and over 400
conversions are available. You can
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other field in STATPRO's database.
188 468 1688 6468
COST ANAL VS IS FOR FIELD K8
STATPRO offers a comprehensive
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The statistics component of
STATPRO contains a multitude of
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Descriptive: Contingency analysis,
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Regression: Linear, non-linear,
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matrices.
Analysis of Variance: Single and
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way equal and unequal sample size
and non-parametric ANOVA.
Time Series: Moving averages,
multi-stage least squares, fitted
polynomials and trig functions,
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Multivariate: Principal components,
factor, orthogonal factor, oblique
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criminantfunction, multiple con-
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STATPRO provides graphic
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minutes.
STATPRO graphics iplot all the
results of your STATPRO statistical
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regression, and box plots; pie-
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can custom edit with any of four
character sets from the keyboard.
You can also edit using paddles,
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Place multiple plots on each screen.
Define your axis limits.
You can save your graphics on a
disk for a multiple color "slide
show" presentation, or print them
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STATPRO documentation wraps
up the package.
Although STATPRO software is
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STATPRO is a trademark of Wadsworth Electronic Publishing Company. Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. IBM is a registered trademark
ot International Business Machines, Corp.
158 byte January 1984 Circle 374 on inquiry card.
Figure 1: A typical arrangement of the con-
tact points of an active memory card. Relative-
ly few (six to eight) contacts are needed because
the data is transmitted serially. See the Flonic
security card in photo 1.
plays a direct part in its own destiny.
On the other hand, a passive
memory card (e.g., an optical-stripe
card) has no active intelligence and
depends entirely on the outside
world for interaction. A passive card
is not unprotected, however, because
this type of device can dedicate a por-
tion of its larger memory-storage ca-
pacity to identification data of its
owner. For instance, its card reader
might require a match with a digit-
ized picture, fingerprint, or voice-
print to confirm identification; an
ample amount of storage capacity
would be left over for transactions.
Data-encryption schemes further in-
crease the security of passive cards.
The design of the card reader or
transaction terminal depends on
whether the memory card is active or
passive. In the case of an active card,
a transaction terminal would need
only I/O (input/output) devices and
a power supply because the memory
card already contains a microcom-
puter (see photo 2).
By contrast, the optical-stripe card
requires some type of sophisticated
laser-based data-transfer system to
decipher the small dots encoded on*
the card's surface.
Memory-Card Architecture
The active monochip memory-card
architecture typically contains a
single microcomputer embedded in
a package the size and shape of a
credit card. The microcomputer is
connected to the outside world via
contact points on the memory card's
surface. Very few contact points are
necessary because only power and
Photo 2: A transaction terminal (or card reader) for an active memory card.
INPUT/OUTPUT DOOR
PERSONAL DATA
MASKED (PROM)
USAGE DATA
(EEPROM)
PROGRAM STORAGE
MASKED (ROM)
WATCHDOG
MICROPROCESSING
UNIT
<
O
o
Figure 2: The system architecture of a monochip-based memory card.
data pass between the memory card
and the transaction terminal. Figure
1 shows the basic physical layout of
a monochip memory card. Figure 2
shows the general architecture of a
monochip memory card.
The architecture of multichip mem-
ory cards is basically similar to that
of monochip cards except that large
memory capacities are possible and
each subsystem can be a separate IC.
Figure 3 shows a multichip memory
and architecture.
Data is typically transferred by an
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 159
TO CONTACTS ON SURFACE
OF MEMORY CARD
H
INPUT/OUTPUT
DOOR
I
MICROPROCESSOR
WATCHDOG
M
E
M
R
Y
B
U
S
MEMORY 1
MEMORY 2
Figure 3: The system architecture of a multichip memory card. Each block represents a separate integrated circuit.
I/O door. This doorway is similar to a
universal asynchronous receiver/
transmitter (UART) and is monitored
by a watchdog— the "security officer"
of the memory card. The function of
the watchdog is to make certain that
the I/O transactions are valid. For ex-
ample, successive attempts to initiate
a transaction using improper access
codes would cause the watchdog to
close the I/O door permanently, ren-
dering the card useless for future
transactions.
The memory section of monochip
and multichip cards is a combination
of four types of memory: factory-pro-
grammed ROM (read-only memory),
RAM (random-access read/write
memory) for temporary data storage,
and EEROM or PROM, in which
transactions are stored.
PROTECTIVE COATING
REFLECTIVE LAYER
NONREFLECTIVE LAYER
SUBSTRATE
CARRIER
The architecture of the optical-
stripe memory card is relatively
straightforward. A special material,
used in the manufacture of video-
disks, is placed on the back of a stan-
dard credit-card-shaped carrier. At a
glance, the average person may not
even notice the difference between a
regular magnetic-stripe credit card
and an optical-stripe memory card.
The special stripe is actually com-
posed of four layers: a protective
coating, a reflective layer, a nonre-
flective layer, and a substrate layer
(see figure 4). Data is encoded on its
surface by burning small holes ap-
proximately 5 microns in diameter in-
to the reflective layer. A low-power
laser is used to "burn" the data onto
the stripe and to read it back. By
scanning the optical stripe with the
OPTICAL STRIPE
MEDIA
(e.g.. PLASTIC CREDIT CARD)
Figure 4: The physical layout of an optical-stripe memory card. The material on its surface
is similar to that used on laser videodisks. A laser is used to read and write the transaction
information.
laser, a bit stream of data is produced.
Figure 5 shows what happens when
a laser scans the optical stripe.
Memory-Card Terminals
Because transaction terminals are
necessary for a complete memory-
card system, a brief discussion will
help to understand how the whole
system works.
A transaction terminal is a commu-
nication station used to transfer infor-
mation into and out of memory
cards. Basically, transaction terminals
consist of two parts: a display with
an attached keypad and a memory-
card interface. The display and key-
pad could be a standard serial ter-
minal. The memory-card interface
"customizes" the transaction terminal
for a particular type of memory card.
There are two types of interfaces: one
for optical-stripe memory cards and
one for monochip and multichip
memory cards.
The terminal interface for an
optical-stripe memory card contains
a computer-controlled laser
data-transfer scanner. This scanner
knows how to interpret or write dots
on the memory card into meaningful
data. Because this type of adapter
needs a computer and a laser to read
the memory card, it would be more
expensive to manufacture than the
160 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
I
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Corona, Texas Instruments, and Transtar
printers. We have cables, printwheels, ribbons,
diskettes, surge protectors, and other accesso-
ries for your system, in stock at outstanding
prices.
• TERMINALS •
Televideo
910 S499
914 619
924 739
925 749
950 945
970 1099
Wyse
WY-50 Call
WY-100 845
WY-200 1095
WY-300 Call
Zenith Z-29 S699 ZT-
Amdek
300G 139
300A 159
Color 1 299
Color II 449
Color III 385
Esprit Systems
Esprit 499
Esprit II 549
Esprit III 669
Esprit III (color) . . .Call
Exec 10/102 Call
Exec 10/25 Call
LearSeagler
ADM3A 535
ADM11 589
ADM22 595
ADM36 999
10 S429 ZT11 S499
• IBM-PC BOARDS •
Amdek MAI Graphics Board S499.00
AST Research I/O Plus S139.00
AST Research 3270 Bisync Emulator Call
Baby Blue CP/M Board 499.00
CCS 1 32 Column Super Vision Board . . . 680.00
Plantronics Color Plus Board 419.00
QuadramQuadboard64K 285.00
Quadram Quadlink Board 549.00
64K RAM Chip kits 65.00
Microsoft 256K RAM board 445.00
Microsoft 64K System board 275.00
Tecmar 1st MATE board 295.00
Tecmar Graphics Master board Call
• S-100 BOARDS •
Advanced Digital Super 6/6mhz Board .S759.00
Advanced Digital CP/M 3.0 350.00
CompuProCPU-Z6mhz2-80 249.00
CompuProCPU-8085/88 359.00
We also carry S-100 boards from California
Computers Systems, Dual Systems, Memory
Merchants, North Star, Scion, Systems Group
and many more.
• DISC DRIVES •
Rana Elite I w/controller (Apple II) S359.00
Rana Elite II w/controller (Apple II) 529.00
Rana Elite III w/controller (Apple II) 649.00
Rana 1000(for Atari) 359.00
Tandon TM1 00-2 Drives Call
TandonTM-55-2 1/2HeightDrives Call
Shugart 8" SS Drives 350.00
Shugart 8" DS Drives 450.00
Corvus 6MB Hard Disc 1869.00
Corvus Mirror Back-up 639.00
• MODEMS •
Novation
D-Cat 155.00
J-Cat 110.00
Apple Cat II.... 279.00
103Smartcat . .199.00
212Smartcat ..429.00
212Autocat Call
D.C. Hayes
Smartmodem 300 .Call
Smartmodem
1200 529.00
Smartmodem
1200B 499.00
Signalman Mkll .79.00
U.S. Robotics
Password 359.00
• MONITORS •
Zenith Panasonic NEC
12312in.Gr 118 12" Green 169 JC-1203DH
122 12 in. Amber ..145 12" Amber 189 High Res. Color. . .Call
131 Med. Res. RGB319 13" RGB 399 JB-1231M Green . .115
135 High Res. RGB 549 Texan
BMC KG 12" Green.... 135
1 2 AUW Green 85 RGB Vision I color 315
MasterCard and Visa Accepted
Separate specialized sales staff for
943 W. Genesee St. Box 2991 Syracuse, N.Y. 13220
crsonal
omputer
i ystems
P.O. Box 3126
Syracuse. N Y. 13220
(315)422-4467 TWX-71 0-541 -0431 (315)478-6800
Circle 258 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 161
LASER SOURCE
LASER SOURCE
EMITTER
U-J
V
DETECTOR
EMITTER
\^
13
OPTICAL STRIPES
DETECTOR
VERY LOW REFLECTION
VERY HIGH REFLECTION
Figure 5: The process of reading data encoded on an optical stripe. On the left, the laser beam encounters a hole written in the reflective
layer so no light reaches the detector. On the right, the beam is reflected to the detector from an undisturbed section of the reflective layer.
interface for monochip and multichip
memory cards.
A terminal interface for monochip
and multichip memory cards is no
more than a small housing with a
mechanical device to connect the
memory card to the terminal's con-
tact points. These points provide
power to the memory card and serial
communications capability to the dis-
play and keypad. Information can be
exchanged as long as the transaction
terminal adapter is connected to the
memory card.
Memory-Card Packaging
By definition, memory cards must
be small enough to be carried conve-
niently. The most common package
for memory cards resembles a credit
card. However, there are possible
drawbacks to incorporating electronic
circuitry within a 30/1000-inch thick-
ness of plastic. Manufacturing the
plastic card liberates corrosive gases
that can affect integrated circuits. Fur-
thermore, producing such a package
is difficult using conventional
semiconductor fabrication tech-
niques.
Fortunately, a process known as
tape-automated bonding (TAB) solves
most of these problems. It's current-
ly used to manufacture such items as
Photo 3: An integrated circuit bonded to a carrier tape or TAB (tape-automated bonding).
This process is used to fabricate thin electronic devices such as calculators and memory cards.
electronic watches and very thin
pocket calculators. TAB originated in
the U.S. in 1969 and uses a flexible
printed-circuit carrier tape, which
looks like 35mm movie film, to which
an IC is bonded and tested (see photo
3).
Memory-Card System Costs
Card costs will depend on two fac-
tors: the technology used and the
volume of production. In high
volume, optical-stripe cards should
cost about 50<t each, monochip cards
about $4.50 each, and multichip
cards about $8 each. In low-volume
production, these prices would be
significantly higher (see. table 2).
The cost of the transaction terminal
must be considered in addition to the
cost of the distribution and manufac-
ture of the memory card. A simple
transaction terminal for active mem-
ory cards may be priced as low as
$250, whereas a transaction terminal
for passive memory cards will cost at
least $1500. These costs are significant
because anyone wishing to use a
memory card will need a reading
device.
Security
It stands to reason that the more
you need to protect the information
on your memory card, the more valu-
able (or private) the information is.
162 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Last Night, CompuServe Turned This
Computer Into A Travel Agent for Jennie,
A Stock Analyst For Ralph, And Now,
Its Sending Herbie to Another Galaxy.
NO MATTER WHICH COMPUTER
YOU OWN, WE'LL HELP YOU GET
THE MOST OUT OF IT.
If you've got places to go,
CompuServe can save you time and
money getting there. Just access the
Official Airline Guide Electronic
Edition— for current flight schedules and
fares. Make reservations through our
on-line travel service. Even charter
a yacht through "Worldwide Exchange."
If your money's in the market,
CompuServe offers a wealth of
prestigious financial data bases.
Access Value Line, or Standard and
Poor's. Get the latest information on
40,000 stocks, bonds or commodities.
Then, consult experts like IDS
or Heinold Commodities. All on line
with CompuServe.
Or if, like Herbie, intergalactic
gamesmanship is your thing, enjoy the
best in fantasy, adventure, and space
games. Like MegaWars, the ultimate
computer conflict.
To get all this and more, you'll
need a computer, a modem and
CompuServe. CompuServe connects with
almost any personal computer, terminal,
or communicating word processor.
To receive an illustrated guide to
CompuServe and learn how you can
subscribe, contact or call:
CompuServe
Consumer Information Service, P. O. Box 20212
5000 Arlington Centre Blvd., Columbus, OH 43220
800-848-8199
In Ohio call 614-457-0802.
An H&R Block Company
Circle 84 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 163
Type of memory card
Low volume
High volume
Memory capacity
f in characters (bytes)
Cost per character
Monochip
$16.00
$4.50
4K
3.9C
Multichip
50.00
8.00
16K
3.05C
Optical stripe
4.00
.50
2M
.0002C
Magnetic stripe
3.00
.60
212
13. 6<D
Optical/magnetic dual stripe
8.00
1.10
2M
.0004(1
Table 2: A comparison of card costs at low- and
high-volume production,
and the cost
per character stored for
the various
memory-card technologies.
For instance, a memory card that con-
tains information regarding your
bank accounts would warrant more
protection than a memory card used
as a ski-lift token. Security of infor-
mation is a matter of personal judg-
ment depending on how "private"
that information is to the individual
"owning" it. Most card systems in use
today (e.g., paper and magnetic-
stripe cards) offer little or no privacy,
whereas memory cards would offer
several avenues for privacy and for
protection of sensitive information.
Memory-card security is achieved
by limiting the number of people
who have access to the information
stored on the card. Furthermore,
granting someone access to informa-
tion on the memory card should not
mean he has permission to update,
modify, or add information to the
memory card. To protect information
on the card, data encryption is used.
The "key" to the code is jointly held
by the card and the owner. However,
just knowing the key should not con-
stitute ownership; positive identifica-
tion of the rightful owner is un-
doubtedly a requirement for a secure
memory-card system. Finally, the
memory card must keep a list of peo-
ple who attempt to query or change
information on the card.
Personal identification is possible
using any of four different methods.
Identification based on possession of
an object (a card, for example) is not
a positive means of identification
because an object might be lost or
stolen. Identification based on what
a person knows (number or pass-
word) is not much better because it,
too, can be lost or stolen. This
method is currently employed by
automatic tellers using magnetic-
stripe cards. An automatic-teller card
can be used by anyone if he knows
the personal identification number
that goes with the card. Both of these
methods are easy to implement and
inexpensive to produce.
The next two methods provide a
much better means of positive iden-
tification. The first is based on some
unchangeable biological feature, such
as a fingerprint, voiceprint, or elec-
Positive identification
of the rightful
owner is required for
a secure memory-card
system.
trocardiogram pattern, that would
provide virtually perfect identifica-
tion. Its largest drawback is the ex-
pense of implementing the devices.
The second method involves a
learned trait or habit; the sound of a
person's footsteps or a signature are
distinctive learned traits. Learned
traits are unique enough to be almost
forge-proof and have the additional
advantage of being generally inex-
pensive to measure. With these
positive-identification techniques you
can audit all accesses and attempted
accesses to a memory card and iden-
tify those who made the requests.
Memory cards suffer from the
same type of external threats as do
credit cards— illegal use of a valid
card, modification of a valid card,
and production of counterfeit cards.
These three threats are compared for
both memory cards and current mag-
netic-stripe credit cards in tables 3a
and 3b. Although the probability of
misuse and potential loss is compar-
able, the countermeasures available
to protect memory cards make them
preferable to magnetic-stripe cards.
Proponents of the technology are
claiming that the memory card is un-
conditionally secure, but there is no
solid evidence to support this claim.
Experts in the field of security, cryp-
tography, and microelectronics doubt
these claims because of the rapid in-
crease of computer crime in the past
few years. Memory-card systems are
more secure than the current mag- :
netic-stripe technology, but their level
of security in field-usable systems
has yet to be determined. Currently
there are field tests underway in the
United States and in France that may
prove to some degree the security of
memory cards. However, the ultimate
test of memory-card systems comes
when they have been released on a
very large scale. None of the existing
field tests will be able to answer the
question of security absolutely.
The Human Factor
The importance of human factors
in computer applications is receiving
increased attention, which is well
deserved because most computer
systems have not been designed with
the user in mind. They have been de-
signed instead from the standpoint of
ease of implementation for the design
engineers. Because memory cards are
small portable computing devices, it
is important that the proper human
factors be considered in order to en-
sure the acceptance of memory cards
in particular applications.
Nearly all the applications of mem-
ory cards involve financial institu-
tions, which are moving over from
standard credit cards. Their greatest
164 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
WAIT REDUCTION MADE EAST.
You know how hard it is to
wait for the printer to finish
before using the computer
again. It's wasteful! Counter
productive!
The solution: simply install
Microbuffer™ printer buffer into
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With one swift command, all
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Presto! Instant wait reduction.
Microbuffer II and 11+ for the
Apple II, 11+ , and lie computers.
Microbuffer II comes in either
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with 16K or 32K of RAM.
Microbuffer 11+ , available with
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serial and parallel capabilities, so
you can control two different
printers at once. The Microbuf-
fer 11+ has on board high
resolution graphics routines for
37 popular printers, and all
include expanded graphics
capabilities and text formatting
in addition to the inherent
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CLEAR
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PAUSE
POWER
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Microbuffer In-line for virtually
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Besides printer buffering, the
In-line serial interface (MBIS)
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transmit data from the computer
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serial RS-232C interface. The
parallel Microbuffer In-line
(MBIP) is built exclusively for
parallel interfacing, and works
exceptionally well in virtually
any parallel computer and any
parallel printer.
Each of the stand-alone
models have controls for making
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With the pause control, printing
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continued later— it will pick up
right where it left off. Even
while you are printing copies of
a document, additional files can
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come with either 32K or 64K of
RAM, and are easily upgradable
up to 256K for processing
greater amounts of data.
Microbuffer/E for Epson printers.
Fully compatible with Epson
MX, FX, RX, and IBM-PC
series printers, these easy-to-
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For parallel interfaces, the
Microbuffer models MBP-16K
and MBP-64K are available.
For serial interfacing,
Microbuffer models MBS-8K and
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MBS-8K supports both hardware
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SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
mm PRACTICAL
^PERIPHERALS
31245 La Baya Drive
Westlake Village, CA 91362 USA
(213) 991-8200 • TWX 910-336-5431
©1983 PRACTICAL PERIPHERALS
Circle 289 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 165
(3a)
Probability
Potential loss
Countermeasures
Skill level required
Illegal use of a valid card
Modification of a valid card
Production of counterfeit cards
high
moderate to high
high
moderate
serious
enormous
moderate to poor
poor
poor to none
none
medium
medium to low
(3b)
Probability
Potential loss
Countermeasures
Skill level required
Illegal use of a valid card
Modification of a valid card
Production of counterfeit cards
high
medium to low
low
moderate
serious
enormous
good
moderate to poor
poor to none
low
high
high
Table 3: Probable abuses of a
magnetic-stripe card (3a)
compared with the same
factors for a memory card (3b).
motivation for shifting to memory
cards is to minimize fraud, theft, and
misuse of credit cards.
Conventional credit cards have
several advantages that have put
them into widespread use today.
They are easy to use, they don't re-
quire any special knowledge by the
user, and they are cheap to manufac-
ture (and therefore are generally pro-
vided for free). Their biggest fault is
that they are very difficult to track if
stolen. Another major disadvantage
to credit cards is that they are easily
counterfeited. Memory cards, on the
other hand, can provide all of the ad-
vantageous features of a credit card
while reducing, or eliminating, these
disadvantages. The memory card
could also provide a unified method
of interaction with a financial institu-
tion, such as a bank; the memory
card could serve as a credit card, a
savings passbook, a checkbook, and
an automatic-teller access card all in
one. Other information could be car-
ried as well: information on out-
standing retirement accounts, auto
loans, and savings bonds.
In order for this type of memory
card to be readily accepted by new
users, the card and the system must
be as functional as the system they
replace and should offer additional
features (e.g., updated interest re-
porting for passbook savings
accounts).
The memory card itself must have
certain physical characteristics in
order to be acceptable to a large
group of users. It must be small,
lightweight, and durable. Also, it
should utilize a surface or shape that
would let you identify the front,
back, right, and left side of the card
so it could be used in poor light or
by a person who is visually impaired.
Memory cards can
provide all of the
advantages of a credit
card, while reducing or
eliminating the
disadvantages.
Attention should be paid to the
user's access to information within
the memory card. This would require
a small, portable terminal analogous
to the calculators carried in some
checkbook cases. A similar read-only
device for active memory cards could
be made by modifying such a cal-
culator.
Nonfinancial Applications
Two examples of nonfinancial ap-
plications are memory-card software
packages and memory cards used for
on-board diagnostics of a personal
computer.
Like any other machine, personal
computers can need repair. Unlike
other machines, computers cleverly
disguise their problems, making
them difficult to troubleshoot and
repair. It would be beneficial to have
an on-board "tattletale" memory card
that could monitor the computer's
operation so as to enable rapid detec-
tion and correction of problems. This
device could keep track of such
things as memory faults, bus errors,
power-line surges, system glitches,
and air temperature and relative
humidity inside the computer
chassis. The memory card might also
perform a type of logic-analyzer
function.
A diagnostic card could decrease
maintenance costs because it could
periodically be removed from the
personal computer and its informa-
tion displayed to determine the num-
ber of memory faults that had oc-
curred, or the number of times the
critical temperature was reached in-
side the chassis, thus signaling the
necessity of maintenance. Therefore,
memory cards for on-board diag-
nostics could decrease the life cycle
costs because repairs would be easier
to isolate and fix. Only the memory
card would have to be taken to the
appropriate service department for
playback and inspection to diagnose
the problem. This could save the
owner of a personal computer a great
deal of time, effort, and money.
Figure 6 shows a memory card
used as a diagnostician. The "panic"
button could be activated by the user
if a potential problem is suspected.
The button would alert the memory
card to a situation in which an error
may occur. The memory card could
166 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
CHAMELEON 11995 Complete
by SEEQUA
The IBM® Compatible Computer
BOTH WORLDS OF
PROCESSING
Using a unique dual processor
technology, the Chameleon by
SEEQUA is both IBM-PC com-
patible and CP/M-80™ compat-
ible providing the largest soft-
ware support available.
TWICE THE MEMORY
128K bytes RAM are standard,
internally expandable to 256K.
And 320K formatted disk stor-
age is included.
SOFTWARE INCLUDED
Your computer is delivered
with SEEQUAs MS-DOS,
compatible with the IBM
rrjBDiSE
standard 16 bit PC-DOS oper-
ating system. It includes Per-
fect Writer for word processing
and Perfect Calc for financial
analysis. And it has MBasic to
let you write your own routines.
Chameleon comes standard
with 640x200 resolution black
and white graphics and 320 x
200 resolution color graphics.
EXPANDABLE
Chameleon has both serial and
parallel ports standard. You
can add an additional serial
port or the IEEE-488 port. You
can even use IBM PC com-
patible add-on boards in our
optional expansion interface
package.
FITS IN YOUR
ENVIRONMENT
Chameleon is at home in your
office. But its compact pack-
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elsewhere.
To learn more about
Chameleon's power, call us
at 800-638-6066. Well
put you in touch with our
closest dealer.
SEEQUA
COMPUTER
CORPORATION
8305 Telegraph Road
Odenton,MD 21113
(301) 672-3600 or
(800) 638-6066
The following are registered trademarks:
CP/M-80— Digital Research Inc.
MS-DOS— Microsoft^
PC-DOS— IBM
Perfect Writer — Perfect Software
Perfect Calc — Perfect Software
MBasic — Microsoft*
IBM — International Business Machines
PERSONAL COMPUTER DIAGNOSTICIAN
PERSONAL COMPUTER
MEMORY-CARD INTERFACE
RECORDED
DIAGNOSTIC
INFORMATION
MEMORY
CARD
SERVICE DEPARTMENT
DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER
"PANIC"
"° ° BUTTON
Figure 6: A block diagram of an active memory card used as an on-board diagnostics device within a microcomputer.
then record all the various logic and
physical states of the system. This
type of diagnostic capability will be-
come more useful, and almost a ne-
cessity, as personal computers
become more complex.
Eliminating Disks and Pirates
Distribution of personal-computer
software has its problems, most of
which fall into two main categories:
media reliability and piracy. Almost
all personal-computer software is dis-
tributed on floppy disks, a magnetic
recording medium. The data-transfer
head reads and writes information as
the disk revolves. The data-transfer
head must make physical contact
with the floppy disk in order to work
properly. This contact causes friction
that eventually wears out the floppy
disk. Dirt, dust, oily fingerprints, and
other types of contamination can ac-
celerate this deterioration. Because
memory cards have no moving parts,
they are very resistant to the con-
taminants that can ruin a floppy disk.
Therefore, memory cards are a more
reliable distribution medium than
floppy disks.
Memory cards also offer protection
against software piracy. Currently, a
personal-computer user needs to
keep several copies of a program on
separate disks to ensure a working
copy in case of an operator error or
media failure. Because copies are
easy and necessary for legitimate
users to make, they are also easy for
illegitimate users to copy. This is a
major problem in the industry today
and one that can be easily combated
with memory cards, which cannot be
erased by the user or be easily
damaged.
Memory cards are more
reliable than floppy
disks and offer
protection against
software piracy.
Chip-based memory cards can
store approximately 5 percent of the
information of a single-sided, single-
density 5V4-inch floppy disk (8K
bytes versus 160K bytes). Tech-
nological advances may help to over-
come this drawback.
Alternately, a multiple-card reader
could be constructed for virtually the
same cost as a floppy-disk drive (ap-
proximately $400). A card reader
would enable many programs to be
on line simultaneously with im-
proved access time and enhanced re-
liability.
Chip-based memory cards are not
the only type of memory cards that
can be used to store information.
Optical-stripe memory cards can
store about 4 million bytes per card.
This lets a large program or a multi-
tude of smaller programs be stored
on the memory card, which greatly
increases the applications for per-
sonal computers. By using an optical-
stripe memory card, books, dic-
tionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias,
and reference books could be bought
in machine-readable form inexpen-
sively. Imagine a spelling checker
based on a 4-million-byte memory
card. A reader for an optical-stripe
memory card would be more expen-
sive than one based on chip tech-
nology, but if manufactured in large
quantities, its cost would probably
range from $400 to $800. The reader
would be about the same size as the
current 5V4-inch floppy-disk drive.
Although the technology is yet in
its infancy, memory cards may even-
tually be used by the majority of the
population. Applications include
security, financial tasks, data storage,
and diagnostic capabilities for per-
sonal computers. As yet, it is not
clear whether active or passive cards
will prevail, but memory cards will be
part of your life very soon.H
Mark Mills is facility manager of the Microcom-
puter Application and Technology Center at Bat-
telle Columbus Laboratories in Columbus, Ohio. He
can be contacted at 3118 Essington Dr., Dublin, OH
43017.
168 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
THE WY300 TERMINAL
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UndoWindows*
New Microsoft® Word It makes your IBM
Personal Computer think its better than a $10,000
word processor
With Microsoft Word, what you see on the screen is
what you get on the paper So its easy to spot mistakes.
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And, when you make changes, paragraphs are
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Word forgives and doesn't forget
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Word undoes your last change and remembers things
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Word does windows. Up to eight, to be exact
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Word travels fast
Word has a Mouse, a handy little critter that lets
you move copy, select commands and edit faster
than you can say "cheese!'
^ w J ^^^^^^^L Word also lets you create
^ i ^^^^BBP^> rour own st ^ e sheets, so
■i^^^you can standardize your documents,
memos, files and letters.
Its not surprising that Microsoft has a way with
Word We designed the MS™ DOS operating system that
tells the IBM® PC how to think And we pioneered
the first microcomputer BASIC, the language spoken
by nine out of ten micros worldwide.
For a few final words, call 1-800426-9400
(in Washington State call 206-828-8088) for a free
Word brochure and the name MICROSOFT
of your nearest Microsoft dealer The High Performance software m
Computer-aided Design
Significant CAD power is coming for desktop microcomputers
Computer-aided design (CAD),
drawing and designing with the aid
of a computer, promises to change
our lives dramatically. Not so long
ago, we stumbled into air-condi-
tioned computer centers with boxes
of keypunch cards and a desire to
"see " what would happen. Now all
that power sits on our desktops, and
as a result pencils, erasers, and
perhaps even paper face the prospect
of obsolescence.
Today, word processors conquer
mountains of text, electronic spread-
sheets master number manipulation,
and business graphics translate the
results into charts, graphs, and slide
shows worth a thousand words. And
the increasing number of electronic
pictures in turn creates the need for
a graphics editor— a picture processor
similar to a word processor. That way,
we can create and edit graphics
images, cutting and pasting our way
through letters, numbers, and
pictures.
The age of computer graphics is
finally here. A hardware/software
configuration exists for everything
from painting illustrations with a col-
or brush to designing and automat-
ing the production of a pipe valve.
Software tools can manipulate both
two-dimensional and three-dimen-
sional images, tools that enable us to
create geometric models worth a
thousand pictures.
by Rik Jadrnicek
But increased capability and falling
prices raise serious questions. What
hardware and software do you need?
What is available? How do you com-
pare packages? What do the terms
mean? Whom do you contact?
Should you wait to buy? Unfortu-
nately, the pattern is far too familiar.
This article charts a path through
the jungle of hardware and software
considerations you face when choos-
ing a CAD package. In it I focus on
some of the software and hardware
available for your desktop computer.
What Is Computer-aided Design?
Computer-aided design has many
potential applications, among them
graphics design, illustration, flow-
charts, block diagrams, forms design,
mapping, printed-circuit board/elec-
trical design, space planning, archi-
tectural design, mechanical drafting,
and product design. A discussion of
solids modeling with shading, ani-
mation, and image synthesis on
microcomputers is a little premature,
but several powerful wire-frame-type
three-dimensional modeling pack-
ages are available along with some
exciting painting software (see photos
1 and 2).
Computer-aided engineering (CAE)
ties together such diverse interests as
pictures (schematics, assembly and
maintenance drawings), cost analy-
ses, structural analyses, production
process plans, material specifications,
tool design, and quality control. Dur-
ing this process, CAD graphics inter-
face with a variety of analysis pack-
ages through compatible data files.
Computer-aided manufacturing
(CAM) uses CAD and CAE criteria to
produce a product such as a valve, a
tool, or another item. Soon we'll be
able to design, analyze, document,
and organize the actual manufacture
of a product from the original draw-
ing. Both CAE and CAM operations
are in their infancy on desktop
micros.
With CAD, you draw or edit by
entering data through a keyboard or
a variety of input devices such as
digitizers, mice, light pens, touch
pens, trackballs, and image digi-
tizers. The graphics software records
the drawing within a world coor-
dinate system and saves its database
description. You edit the database
and view the results on a monitor,
which sends the image you create to
a variety of hard-copy output devices
including printers and plotters. You
can network the database and send
it out via modem or create an inter-
face with such programs as Bill of
Materials, Stress Analysis, or a varie-
ty of CAE/CAM applications.
What Is Available?
Historically, computer graphics
started with the early Teletype and
172 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Photo 1: A paintbrush drawn with the pixel-based Easel painting software.
line-printer hard-copy devices of the
1940s. Computer-driven CRTs (cath-
ode-ray tubes) began to display out-
put in the early 1950s. In 1962, Ivan
E. Southerland, a young Ph.D. from
MIT, formally described a computer
system that enabled users to draw.
Significant developments in output-
device technology and software in
the 1970s have made Southerland's
dream economically feasible. Cur-
rently, more than a dozen software
developers are well along the path to
creating significant CAD power for
desktop computers. These are not ex-
pensive dedicated systems or
bundled hardware and software con-
figurations that are device depen-
dent; they run on stock microcom-
puters with few exceptions.
Hardware Requirements
The costs of the hardware and soft-
ware necessary to configure a CAD
system run from $5000 for a very fun-
damental floppy-disk system up to
Photo 2: A sample three-dimensional video image produced by Energraphics software.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 173
Processor Support
PC-Draw
CADdraft
Benchmark
Vector
Sketch
Drawing
Processor
CADplan
AutoCAD
VersaCAD
IBM PC
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
IBM PC XT
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Columbia
•
•
•
•
•
•
Compaq-
Corona
•
•
•
•
•
•
12/83
•
•
Eagle PC
Eagle 1630
Tl PC
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
12/83
•
6/84
NEC APC
•
1/84
•
Zenith Z-100
1/84
•
Compupro
Televideo
•
12/83
Victor 9000
•
•
1/84
•
•
Digital Microsystems
DEC Rainbow
1/84
•
12/83
DEC 350
6/84
Apple II
•
CP/M
•
•
HP-200 Series
•
Price
$250
$495
$595
$900
$995
$1295
$1000/
/$1500
$1995
Table 1: A comparison of computers.
• = existing feature
date = expected release date
Input Devices
PC-Draw
CADdraft
Benchmark
Vector
Sketch
Drawing
Processor
CADplan
AutoCAD
VersaCAD
Sunflex Touch Pen
Sunflex Touch Pad
•
•
•
•
Light Pen
•
Joystick
•
Houston Instrument Hipad
•
1/84
•
•
•
•
Hitachi Tiger Tablet
•
4/84
GTCO
•
•
•
•
•
Summagraphics
1/84
•
•
•
Kurta
•
4/84
Mouse Systems Mouse
•
•
•
USI Optomouse
•
Table 2: A comparison of input devices.
• = existing feature
date = expected release date
$50,000 for a dual 68000-based micro-
processor with a 20-megabyte hard
disk and 1 megabyte of RAM (ran-
dom-access read/write memory). The
latter system is capable of very good
two-dimensional and three-dimen-
sional commercial animation graph-
ics.
Ideally, the CAD software you
choose will support a variety of com-
puters (table 1), input devices (table
2), graphics processors, and output
devices (table 3).
Computers
A wide variety of desktop micro-
computers can be configured for
computer graphics work. This added
capability usually doesn't interfere
with the word processor, the spread-
sheet, or any other software in your
library.
These computers fall into four gen-
eral categories:
1. Atari, Apple, and other computers
with proprietary operating sys-
tems using the 6502 micropro-
cessor chip. Accelerator boards
provide 8088 and 68000 chips for
some of these.
2. S-100, STD, Multibus, and other
systems like the Victor 9000 using
the Z80 or 8086, 8087, and/or 8088
microprocessors.
3. IBM PC XT and the growing num-
ber of PC look-alikes using the
8086/8088 microprocessor and op-
tionally the 8087 numerical data
coprocessor.
4. Unix systems using the Motorola
68000 microprocessor.
The Intel 8088 microprocessor is
faster and more powerful than the
Z80 but less powerful than the
Motorola 68000. Some systems, such
as the Victor 9000, come from the f ac-
174 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
TEK
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Copyright ©1983, Tektronix, Inc. All rights reserved. TTA-407-1
Output Devices
PC-Draw
CADdraft
Benchmark
Vector
Sketch
Drawing
Processor
CADplan
AutoCAD
VersaCAD
Graphics Boards
IBM Graphics Board-Color
IBM Graphics Board-B&W
Single-Screen Version
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
6/84
Hercules
Scion
Techmar
Control Systems Artist
Color + Plantronics
Vectrix 384
3/84
3/84
12/83
12/83
•
1/84
1/84
•
12/83
12/83
•
•
12/83
12/83
•
2/84
2/84
2/84
•
Pen Plotters
Houston Instrument:
DMP-7
DMP-8
DMP-29
DMP-40
DMP-41
DMP-42
•
1/84
3/84
3/84
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hewlett-Packard:
HP-7470A
HP-7580
HP-7585
•
•
•
•
12/83
12/83
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
12/83
12/83
•
•
•
•
•
•
IBM XY749
IBM XY750
1/84
1/84
•
•
•
•
•
•
Calcomp
•
•
11/83
Sweet-P
•
•
4/84
Strobe 100
Strobe 8-pen
•
•
•
•
Graphics Printers
Epson MX-80
Epson MX-100
Epson FX-80/100
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
2/84
2/84
2/84
Citoh 1550
IBM Graphics
•
•
•
•
2/84
Okidata 84/92
Okidata 93
NEC 8023
NEC PI
•
•
Mannesmann Tally
Gemini-10/15
IDS Prism
Versatec
1/84
• -
•
1/84
Table 3: A comparison oft
utput devices.
• = (
date =
existing feature
expected release date
tory equipped with full graphics
capability. They are the easiest to con-
figure and generally the least costly.
If you do need to configure a system
for graphics capability, in a price/per-
formance evaluation the IBM PC and
its look-alikes come out on top, fol-
lowed by selected S-100 systems (see
photos 3 and 4).
Input Devices
Although you can use the key-
board as a primary input device, a
specialized device is much easier and
more efficient.
With manual drafting methods and
a conventional drawing board, you
physically draw a line from one point
to another. You do the same thing
with a digitizer or digitizing tablet
(electronic drawing board), but rather
than use a pencil or pen you use a
puck, cursor device, or stylus. You can
trace a library of drawing parts you
have created over the years for use in
assembling your current drawings.
You can also work with drawings
created manually by your co-workers.
Touch pens and light pens enter
data points directly onto the monitor
screen— if you don't mind holding
your hand in the air— but they don't
trace manually created drawings.
Similar to digitizing tablets but
without the expense or the accuracy,
mice keep your hand in a restful posi-
tion on a table or grid plate. Track-
balls, which use a revolving ball like
some video games, video-camera in-
put, and even joysticks are available.
It's a good idea to combine the key-
176 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Text continued on page 180
Let the ANGELdo the waiting ......
It has been said that 30% of micro-
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saves the user not waiting for the print-
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JAMMED PAGE RE-PRINTS
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ANGEL HAS ALL INTERFACES
ANGEL, The Intelligent Buffer is the
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ANGEL passes data to the printer
exactly as received from the computer
and is independent of software — includ-
ing graphics. The ANGEL also features
an innovative page mode which carefully
monitors the page break data during
printing. Under the page mode you can
reprint the last page, jammed pages, do
page skip as well as page pause for
single-sheet feeding.
ANGEL is an intelligent buffer with 12
additional functions that may be activated
when you need them; pause, hold, copy,
clear, self-test, page reprint, page skip,
page pause, multi-copy, continuous copy,
space compression, hex dump, etc.
ANGEL comes with 64K bytes of
memory, ample for most applications.
Additionally, you may activate the space
compression mode which in may cases
extends the buffer capacity to more than
128K.
ANGEL is designed for all types of
users -even those without technical
background. All switches, including baud
rate selection and parallel / serial confi-
gurations are externally accessible.
Installation is a matter of connecting
cables, setting up DIP switches and
power-on. Ligo Research makes available
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Software Features to Look For
On-line Status
On-screen status items, such as layer
number', grid status, lines of type, the cur-
sor's x-y coordinate position, and various
interactive prompts, are helpful. The ability
to get information about your drawing or
entities within it is also helpful. For ex-
ample, if you want to know the size of your
coordinate system, the exact location of a
particular item, or the default status of
various program parameters, the on-line
status feature gives you access to this
information.
Menus
While it is cumbersome and frustrating
in the long run to choose program func-
tions from an A, B, C type of menu, com-
mand menus that you point to on the
screen area desirable feature. In addition,
if you have the freedom to design your own
menu, you can develop a custom applica-
tion using only those selections that apply
to your drawing needs. For example, you
may want to use only 10 of the 40 menu
commands and organize them conveniently
for your own frequency of use. The pro-
gram may let you put predefined shapes
(icons) in the menu for easy selection and
placement in your drawings.
Macros and Command Files
Macros and command files are groups
of program instructions and other data-
entry items that can be executed with a
single keyboard sequence. For example, if
it takes you five steps to merge a disk file
into your current drawing, you can place
the necessary instructions in a macro/com-
mand file and execute it with a single com-
mand. You can even place these macros as
selections on your menu.
Further custom flexibility exists if the
software lets you stop during macro execu-
tion and issue a prompt for data entry. For
example, you can develop a menu item that
creates a shape; goes to a particular loca-
tion; enters text mode; sets the font, size,
and direction; and prompts you to enter the
text string. The more powerful the macro
capability, the more you can develop
custom or turnkey applications.
Ideally, you can enter the program and
execute the first command by making one
entry at the A> prompt. This allows you
to enter the program frvm a batch file, draw
for a while, perform some other macro
functions, exit cleanly, and then reenter
the original batch file. Turnkey CAD,
CAE, and CAM operations then become
feasible.
Grid
The world coordinate system and the
coordinate system you define within it
break down into grid points that serve as
reference points while you are drawing.
Look for the ability to specify the distance
between grid points and to choose a dif-
ferent scale for the x and y axes. You don't
want the grid points to become part of the
database or to appear on the printer or the
plotter. Ideally, they turn inverse when
they appear in a solid fill.
When you activate grid lock or grid snap,
another desirable feature, the data points
you enter "snap" to the nearest grid point
no matter where you enter them. This per-
mits a degree of error when entering data
points. Notice in the figure opposite how
the actual figure (solid line) differs from
the digitized line (dotted). This is especially
helpful when you are trying to align dif-
ferent drawing layers, close irregular
shapes, or enter data points quickly and
accurately.
The ability to vary the distance between
grid points becomes important with grid
lock/snap. It allows you to change the
coarseness of your drawing resolution as
you fine-tune. You can, for example, zoom
in on one square inch, snap to the nearest
hundredth-inch for detail drawing, then
zoom back out, snapping to the nearest
quarter-inch.
With the incremental snap feature, your
cursor stops only on grid points or resolu-
tion points as it moves across the screen.
Aspect Ratio
// "what you see is what you get" is im-
portant to you, make sure the program cor-
rects for the aspect ratio of your display
devices. Aspect ratio is a design engineer-
ing term that refers to the ratio of display
width to height. For example, a 320 by 200
monitor presents a circle as an ellipse and
a square as a rectangle unless the software
makes the right adjustments. This is quite
important if proportion matters during
data entry or if you are using the display
for a final presentation.
Data Entry
Shapes, blocks, groups, com-
ponents, and dictionary items. These
are all different names for similar drawing
elements. You want to be able to create
drawing elements, store them in a parts
library, and merge them into your current
drawing, resettling and rotating them as
desired. The ability to automate repetitive
drawing tasks is one of the more impor-
tant features of a CAD program. For ex-
ample, if you are an architect and want to
call one of a variety of drainage systems into
a foundation/ site plan, you can retrieve the
right one from your drawing library on
disk rather than redraw it from scratch.
Tablet or tracing mode. This can be
extremely important for merging existing
manual drawings into your library. Look
for the ability to enter a drawing that is
larger than the surface of your input
device, For example, you may want to enter
a 24- by 36-inch drawing you did 10 years
ago through your 11- by 11-inch digitizer
tablet and make it part of your drawing
library on disk.
Keyboard entry. The ability to enter
data from both a keyboard and an optional
input device is desirable. Positioning the
cursor, entering relative or absolute coor-
dinates, and keying formulas that result
in appropriate curves are all important.
Absolute coordinate entry is essential.
Freehand draw or sketch mode.
Drawing from vector point to vector point
and snapping to grid points has its advan-
tages, but so does sketching a freeform line.
Different programs handle this capability
quite differently. Sometimes the sketched
line becomes one database item; other times
the software stores it as a user-defined col-
lection of data points. If this capability is
important to you, look at the method of up-
dating the database, the amount of storage
used, and the flexibility available for ma-
nipulating your sketches.
Drawing primitives. Become familiar
with the primitives (lines, arcs, circles, rec-
tangles, etc.) and attributes (line type,
width, color', etc.) available in a particular
program. Also check the number of ways
you can define an object. For example, you
may want to define a circle as a center and
radius, two points determining a diameter
or three points on the circumference.
Many other primitive capabilities are
shown on the accompanying tables. They
include cross-hatching or filling an area
(with or without user-definable patterns),
fillets and Bezier curves (see glossary on
page 208), and built-in math calculations.
178 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Grid snap permits the perfect alignment of data points by forcing them to snap to predefined grid points. Note the solid-line shape
you create even when you enter points in the dotted-line shape. This becomes important when registering one layer of a drawing with
another.
If you need autodimensioning, be sure
it suits your needs. Some things to look
for are angular, radial, and autostacking
features and the ability to customize
dimension elements.
The primitive features available in CAD
software vary widely. The more flexibility
you have to customize the primitives, the
happier you will be in the long run.
Layers. If the CAD software provides
multiple layers, your drawing power
magnifies. Layers are like pieces of tracing
paper stacked one on top of the other that
you turn on and off individually for display
and hard-copy output. For example, if you
are designing a house, you can develop a
site plan on layer one, a foundation plan
on layer two, a floor plan on layer three,
an electrical plan on layer four, a plumb-
ing plan on layer five, and a roof plan on
layer six. This enables you to see the
overall house with all its details integrated
while you have the freedom to see and draw
each individual plan independently. If you
turn off all the layers except the electrical
plan, you can send that plan to a hard-copy
device. If you turn on the floor plan, you
can conveniently work on your electrical
drawing against the appropriate back-
ground.
Rubber banding. A visual aid when
drawing, the line stretches like a rubber
band while you pull it to the next data
point. Rubber banding helps in trying to
conceptualize the drawing process.
Editing Features
The ease and power of the editing capa-
bility are important considerations with
CAD software. You must be able to manip-
ulate the images you create while resettl-
ing, rotating, and moving them around.
This allows you to correct mistakes and
freely modify your drawings.
If, in the example of the house plan, you
previously completed a drawing of a house
in a completely different scale from the site
plan, the ability to load the old house plan
and merge it with the new site plan while
resettling it and rotating it for proper sun
exposure would be extremely helpful.
Partial delete. A feature quite often ab-
sent in lower-priced CAD systems is the
ability to delete part of a previously drawn
image without having to erase and recon-
struct the whole thing. For example, if you
break a house wall and put in a window,
you change the number of entities and data
points updating the database. This feature,
which is quite important in editing draw-
ings, allows you tremendous flexibility.
Without it, you need to preplan, resulting
in a rigid drawing lacking in spontaneity.
Windowing. This is the process of
defining an area you wish to manipulate
by setting up two opposite corners of a rec-
tangle that contains it. For example, you
can window an area in order to delete,
move, copy, save, or zoom in on it. With
the rubber-banding feature, the window
dynamically expands and contracts after
you define one corner, so you can shape the
window and see the area defined.
Others
The list continues (tables 5, 6, and 7),
but you can readily see that CAD is very
powerful. The best test is an actual test;
take a drawing in, try out the software, and
make sure the features you need are there.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 179
Photo 3: The hardware elements of a CAD system drawn using vector-based AutoCAD soft-
ware and displayed by a 640 by 400 Vectrix Graphics processor and high-resolution Vectrix
color monitor. Note that much of the configuration is optional.
Text continued from page 176:
board, function keys, and an input
device determined by the design
work you do. Look for software that
supports a variety of input devices in
case your preferences change.
Output Devices
If you desire a copy of your work,
you will be using a hard-copy device.
Choose CAD software that gives you
output options— the more the better.
A mature program supports a variety
of devices that output drawings to
dot-matrix printers, ink-jet printers,
pen plotters, electrostatic plotters, or
microfilm recorders.
For applications requiring accurate
representation of colors and high-
quality hard copy, such as painting
packages, you can photograph the
monitor. A variety of photographic
and video interfaces are available.
Graphics Processors
The graphics processor and the
graphics monitor determine the
quality of the video-display image
you view during editing. The pro-
cessor translates the database image
in RAM for display on the monitor.
If either of these devices has poor
resolution, the image is less than rep-
resentative.
The area of video feedback during
CAD work needs improvement and
is getting it. The price of a high-
resolution color processor/monitor
combination dropped from $5000 to
less than $2500 in one year. Many
high-resolution graphics processor
boards now available (Scion, Cono-
graphics, Techmar) are reasonably
priced. Very high quality color graph-
ics monitors range between $1500 and
$10,000 at this time, but prices are ap-
proaching the economic means of the
desktop computer user.
Drawing Resolution
The concept of resolution is impor-
tant to understand if you wish to be-
come aware of current and future
trends in computer-aided design.
The number of dots or elements used
to represent an image determines its
resolution. Consider drawing a
straight line. Take a pencil and begin
placing dots in a line from left to right
on a piece of paper. Make the dots
about V4 inch apart. You are creating
a low-resolution representation of a
straight line. The finer your pencil
point and the more dots you place
within the line, the higher the resolu-
tion of your drawing is. If you place
enough dots along the line, it appears
to be a solid line. The same concept
applies to circles, solids, text, and
other shapes.
In general, the higher the resolu-
tion, the smoother and more accurate
the image. Obviously, you want the
highest resolution possible.
World Coordinate System
Each piece of CAD software has its
own method of mapping a coor-
dinate system, usually called the
world coordinate system.
In a pixel-based system, the soft-
ware maps out a coordinate system
in RAM relative to the number of pix-
els available within the graphics pro-
cessor/monitor. Each pixel becomes a
coordinate point within the world
coordinate system. You represent an
image by the lit or unlit status of each
pixel location (data point) in the
image database. This method is corn-
Photo 4: One example of a CAD system, an IBM PC with a Houston Instrument Hipad
11 by 11 digitizer and DMP-40 plotter.
180 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 86 on inquiry card.
PURE POWER
CONTROL CENTER
Introducing a powerful new link
your computer system:
The Power Directors
from Computer Accessories,
compulcf
Power Directors incorporate UL approved
TranZorb*-* semiconductor technology and ex-
ceed the 1983 IEEE-587 Guide for surge voltages
in low voltage AC power circuits. So you can
protect your computer system from line surges
and noise, giving it the pure power it needs. Volt-
age spikes are stopped in less than a nanosec-
ond, EMI/RFI line noise is filtered out and current
overloads are prevented. Now your
system can be truly integrated with
computer
accessories Computer Accessories Corporation. 7696 Formula Place, San Diego, CA 92121 (619) 695-3773
central power control like the Model P12 shown
above. Ins
lines and <
plugs into the fully shielded Power Director. You
can turn on each component individually, or
power up the entire system with a single switch.
Look for the full line of Power Directors wher-
ever personal computers are sold. "TranZorb is a
product of General Semiconductor Industries of
System Specs
PC-Draw
CADdraft
Benchmark
Vector
Sketch
Drawing
Processor
CADplan
AutoCAD
VersaCAD
Color output
•
•
1/84
1/84
•
•
•
Program load-time to draw
Minimum RAM required
Maximum addressable RAM
Disk I/O frequency
27 sec
128K
192K
Med
36 sec
320K
320K
Med
10 sec
256K
640K
Med
28 sec
256K
Med
14 sec
256K
Med
45 sec
320K
640K
Med
33 sec
256K
640K
Med
81 sec
64/128K
128K
High
Drawing entity bound
Drawing RAM bound
Drawing disk bound
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Copy/multiuse protection
Disk
RS-232
PROM
RS-232
Key/Card
Configuration utility
•
•
*
*
•
Z80 support
8086 support
8087 support
8088 support
80000 series support
•
•
•
•
•
6/84
•
11/83
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Machine/assembly
BASIC
C
Pascal
FORTRAN
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
World grid resolution
1280
by 400
65,000
by 65,000
65,000
by 65,000
0.002
1 X1015
by 1 x10 15
65,000
by 65,000
1 X1015
by 1 x 10 15
1X1015
by 1 x10 1 s
Floating-point
Integer
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Vector base
Maximum vertices/entities
•
1400
•
5000
•
5000
•
10,000 pts.
8000 lines
•
65,000
•
•
50,000
Drawing file type
Alternate file type
ASCII
ASCII
ASCII
DIF
ASCII
Pascal
DIF
ASCII
Binary
ASCII
Pascal
ASCII
Autocorrect for aspect
ratio of graphics monitor
•
•
•
•
Intelligent plot utility
•
•
•
•
•
Table 4: A comparison of s
ystem specifications.
• = existing feature
* = outstanding feature
date = expected release date
mon in painting software where you
paint shapes by lighting up pixels
within a fixed matrix. For hard copy,
you dump the image pixel by pixel to
an output device.
In a vector-based system, the size
of the world coordinate system
doesn't necessarily correspond to the
processor/monitor resolution. If the
software uses integer mathematics,
the coordinate system may consist of
approximately 65,000 by 65,000 data
points. With floating-point math, the
software may generate a world coor-
dinate system with limits of 1 x 10 15
by 1 x 10 15 data points.
The number of data points the
CAD software makes available within
the world coordinate system deter-
mines the degree of resolution it can
achieve. The more there are, the
greater the potential for detail, and,
182 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
in general, the slower and more
memory-hungry the program (see
table 4).
To set the scale for your drawing,
you map out your own user-defined
coordinate system or grid on the soft-
ware world coordinate system. Say,
for example, that you want to map
out an area of 24 by 36 database units
corresponding to a D-size sheet of ar-
chitectural drafting paper. You want
each database unit to be one inch,
and you want to be able to break that
down into divisions of 0.001 inch.
Once you define your coordinate sys-
tem, the system develops a database
to record location and other attributes
ascribed to the data points. In a
vector-based system, a data point
could be the center of a circle and the
beginning of a line segment on layer
5 in the color green. The circle might
be a predefined shape (or primitive)
defined by a center point and a radius
of 2 database units rather than a circle
of data points.
Physical Resolution
To record an image electronically,
you enter it into the world coordinate
system through a keyboard, digitizer,
mouse, or light/touch pen. To manip-
ulate the image, you display it on an
output device such as a monitor. If
you want to produce a hard copy, you
send the database to printers and
plotters. Each of these I/O (input/out-
put) devices has its own resolution
(called physical resolution) indepen-
dent of that of the coordinate system
or the image.
Differences in Resolution
In figure 1, see how the same circle
Text continued on page 190
THIS IS THE PASCAL COMPILER
VERYBODY S BEEN WAITING FOR-
EVERYBODY EXCEPT THE COMPETITION!
Extended Pascal for your IBM PC,
APPLE CP/M, MSDOS,CP/M 86,CCP/M
86 or CP/M 80 computer features:
• Full screen interactive editor providing
a complete menu driven program
development environment.
• 11 significant digits in floating point
arithmetic.
• Built-in transcendental functions.
• Dynamic strings with full set of string
handling features.
• Program chaining with common
variables.
• Random access data files.
• Full support of operating system
facilities.
• And much more.
ORDER YOUR COPY OF TURBO
PASCAL TODAY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF OUR INTRODUCTORY SPECIAL.
For Visa and MasterCard orders call toll free
1-800-227-2400 X 968
IN CA: 1-800-772-2666 X 968
(lines open 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week)
Dealer ft Distributor Inquiries welcome.
H^Il
Turbo Pascal
IBM Pascal
Pascal MT+
jM^ PRICE
49.95
300.00
595.00
^Compile & Link
speed
1 second!!!
97 seconds
90 seconds
Execution
speed
2.2 seconds
9 seconds
3 seconds
Disk Space 16 bit
8 bit
33Kw editor!
28Kw editor!
3Q0K + editor
Not Available
225K + editor
168K + editor
8 and 16 bit
YES
NO
YES
built-in editor
YES
NO
NO
Generate object
code
YES
YES
YES
One pass native
code compiler
YES
NO
NO
Locates RunTime
errors directly in
source code
YES
NO
NO
Benchmark data based on EightQueens in "Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs" by N.
Wirth. run on an IBM PC
Turbo Pascal Is a trademark of Borland International. MT+ is a trademark of MT
Microsystems. IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines.
LEARN TO WRITE
A 8PREAD8HEET
Our Introductory offer
incltH&^MICROCALC, a
spreads'Npt r ~ wd^n in
Turbo Pascal. It w*H be on
your disk, and' ready to
run. And we've included
the source code to show
you exactly how a
spreadsheet is written!
(Introductory offer expires
March 1, 1984)
Turbo Pascal includes a
250 page bound manual
with extensive explana-
tions and many illustrative
examples.
•
Turbo Pascal $49.95 + $5.00
shipping per copy.
Check Money Order
VISA Master Card _
Card #:
Exp date:
My system is: 8 bit.
.16 bit.
_Shlpped UPS
B
BORIPOD
INTERNATIONAL
Borland International
4607 Scotts Valley Drive
Scotts Valley, California 95066
Operating system: CP/M 80
CP/M 86 MS DOS__ PC DOS
Computer Disk Format:
Please be sure model number and format are correct.
NAME: _^
ADDRESS:
CITY/STATE/ZIP:
TELEPHONE:
California residents add 6%% sales tax. Outside North America add
$15.00. Checks must be on a U.S. bank, and in U.S. dollars. Sorry, no
CO.D.
BYTE January 1984 183
CAD Software Surveyed
Two-dimensional Software
AutoCAD
Autodesk Inc.
150 Shoreline Hwy., Bldg.'B
Mill Valley, CA 94941
(415) 331-0356
AutoCAD is a powerful program capable
of drawing anything from simple flow-
charts to large, complex architectural draw-
ings. Its strong points include a rich set
of primitive commands, floating-point ac-
curacy, little limitation on drawing size,
good memory management, excellent pe-
ripheral support, and good editing features,
including partial deletion of drawing ele-
ments. By means of user-definable menus,
macros, and command files, AutoCAD can
be customized without programming
knowledge (a very powerful feature). A
drawback, however, is that zooming, pan-
ning, and editing become slower as your
drawing grows larger. This is typical for
floating-point packages. If possible, use the
faster 8087 numerical coprocessor with this
program. You can zoom in from a view of
the solar system to a desktop in a San Fran-
cisco office, but if you have a large number
of elements in your drawing, the process
may be slow. Aggressively updated and
waiting only for a faster processor environ-
ment to complement its accuracy, Auto-
CAD has tremendous potential.
Benchmark
Metasoft Corporation
6509 West Frye Rd., Suite 12
Chandler, AZ 85224
(602) 961-0003
(800) 621-1908
A surprisingly capable CAD package,
Benchmark uses macro command files to
add flexibility, get around the limited
number of standard features, and allow
program customization. Written in ma-
chine and C languages, the program loads
in a fast 13 seconds and executes commands
just as quickly. Documentation is sparse,
but the on-screen user interface is well
designed and well written. Peripheral sup-
port is limited, however; Benchmark needs
to support input devices other than the
keyboard. More a graphics editor than a
CAD system designed for detailed draw-
ing, this program even contains business-
graphics primitives. Keep an eye on Bench-
mark; it has a lot of potential.
CADplan
CADdraft
Personal CAD Systems Inc.
15425 Los Gatos Blvd.
Los Gatos, CA 95030
(408) 356-3183
A fast and friendly program with a lot
of potential, CADplan's rich primitive fea-
tures coupled with powerful editing fea-
tures make it well worth considering. This
is the only package reviewed that contains
a user-definable database-extraction provi-
sion, allowing you to create written reports
based on elements you place in your draw-
ing. Its powerful configuration module
supports a variety of peripherals. On the
negative side, CADplan's integer math
limits drawing size and resolution. There-
fore, make sure this package handles the
detail you require. Also, digitizer input is
slow, and the system doesn't remap the
device when you zoom in for more detail,
i.e., you draw in a smaller area on the
digitizer. Aggressively updated, CADplan
is sure to become a popular entry-level
package.
A scaled-down version of CADplan de-
signed as a beginning package, CADdraft
is rich in primitive and editing features and
saves as an excellent introduction to CAD.
Although the drawing size is limited, it
may not hamper basic day-to-day drawing
applications. Be sure the drawing resolu-
tion can provide the detail you desire since
it is based on integer math. This program
is fast, easy to use, aggressively updated,
and supports a variety of peripherals.
CADdraft is a good first step in CAD,
especially if the more advanced CADplan
suits your future needs.
Drawing Processor
BG Graphics Systems Inc.
824 Stetson Ave.
Kent, WA 98031
(206) 852-2736
Written in Pascal, Drawing Processor
provides rich primitive features with a spe-
cial curve-fitting provision not found else-
where. This powerful program has strong
editing features, sophisticated manipula-
tion of predefined shapes, and floating-
point precision. This precise but somewhat
slow program requires an 8087 coprocessor
chip. A well-illustrated manual describes
how to map out an area on the digitizer
and customize it for data entry. The pro-
gram requires two monitor's to run in some
cases and doesn't support color yet. It needs
to support a few more peripherals and pro-
vide more dimensioning and layered data-
entry power. Drawing Processor is likely
to be a top contender among CAD pro-
grams for micros.
PC-Draw
Micrografx
1701 North Greenville, Suite 703
Richardson, TX 75081
(214) 234-1769
PC-Draw provides a surprising amount
of graphics editing power in an inexpen-
sive package. You can create symbols, place
them in a menu within the graphics editor,
then pick these elements and place them
within the drawing area. You can create
and edit images from complex block dia-
grams to simple architectural drawings in
color or black and white. Currently, the
program supports only light-pen and key-
board entry input with a variety of out-
put devices. Well documented, but not a
full CAD system, PC-Draw provides the
basic tools for a variety of drawing needs.
Vector Sketch
GTCO Tablet
G1CO Corporation
1055 First St.
Rockville, MD 20850
(301) 279-9550
Written in FORTRAN, Vector Sketch
provides some powerful CAD capabilities.
A certain number of data points spill out
each second as you draw in sketch mode.
Line types, commands from an on-screen
menu, and creation of a symbol library are
available. The program limits the number
184 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
of data points you can enter and the size
vendors have systems ranging from
a three-dimensional stick-modeling pack-
of drawing you can create. When zooming
$15,000 to $40,000 and are considering in-
age that constructs images as a collection
into the drawing for more detail, however;
troducing device-independent programs for
of polygons and includes hidden-line
it doesn't remap the digitizer. This means
micros.
removal and colored surface shading. Ag-
that a quarter-inch move on the digitizer
Currently, a variety of interesting, in-
gressively updated, this is an excellent
can send the cursor completely across the
expensive, and aggressively updated pack-
entry-level package.
screen, making detailed drawing difficult.
ages provide limited two-dimensional cap-
While it currently supports a limited num-
ability along with three-dimensional
Painting
ber of peripherals, Vector Sketch is being
modeling features. Some of these follow.
Painting software refers to pixel-based
updated.
programs oriented toward graphics artists
Energraphics/PC
and illustrators, including the manipula-
VersaCAD
Enertronics Research
tion of images from a video camera. You
CADapple
150 North Meramec, Suite 207
can paint pictures on the monitor with a
T & W Systems Inc.
St. Louis, MO 63105
keyboard or digitizer. These packages will
7372 Prince Dr., Suite 106
(314) 725-5566
get more publicity as higher-resolution
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(800) 325-0174
graphics processor's and monitors become
(714) 847-9960
more economical. Descriptions of two pro-
Chock full of features for less than $300,
grams follow.
VersaCAD and CADapple are different
Energraphics includes business graphics,
versions of a powerful floating-point pro-
two-dimensional drawing with shapes li-
Easel
gram written in Pascal. The ability to
braries, and three-dimensional drawing
Time Arts Inc.
overflow your drawing to disk eliminates
with formula surface generation. It needs
4425 Cavedale Rd.
the threat of being RAM bound. In fact,
digitizer input. With excellent, well-illus-
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
since Pascal limits the RAM used, the pro-
trated documentation including its own
(707) 996-4856
gram is constantly accessing the disk, mak-
software and many tools, this is an ex-
ing a hard-disk system preferable. It can
cellent entry-level package for learning
A phenomenal package, Easel lets you
automatically set up the balance of available
about CAD.
paint on the monitor with a digitizer using
RAM as a RAM disk. Rich primitives, in-
different brush widths and even airbrush
cluding a Bezier curve-fitting provision,
MCS Software
simulation. A palette of colors appears on
strong editing features, the ability to save
3-D Space Tablet
the screen ready to touch and paint. Al-
views, a screen-dump provision, and par-
Micro Control Systems Inc.
though most of the package is written in
tial deletion of drawing entities make this
143 Tunnel Rd.
FORTH, many machine-language primi-
program powerful. Floating-point precision
Vernon, CT 06066
tives are available. You will hear more
results in slower execution even with an
(203) 872-0602
about Easel.
8087 coprocessor. The program can require
two monitors and supports a variety of pe-
MCS is a three-dimensional modeling
4 Point
ripherals. With an optional three-dimen-
package complete with a special digitizer
International Microcomputer
sional interface now available and tremen-
for three-dimensional data entry. You can
Software Inc.
dous potential, VersaCAD /CAD apple
digitize a small three-dimensional stick
633 5th Ave.
promises to become a popular package for
figure and then rotate, edit, and rescale it
San Rafael, CA 94901
micros.
on the monitor. This package also allows
two-dimensional digitizer input that you
(415) 454-7101
Three-dimensional Software
can then transform into a three-dimension-
With 4 Point, you can paint pictures on
The potential of three-dimensional soft-
al image with a high degree of accuracy.
the screen and manipulate them, making
ware becomes desirable the more you work
copies of parts, changing background col-
with CAD. Think how much time you
3Design
ors, and even switching images between
could save by drawing house plans and
3Design
buffers to create simple animation. You can
then taking a three-dimensional look at the
POB C-56789
turn off all status prompts to photograph
results from the neighbors' second-story
4710 University Way NE, Suite 1512
the monitor image, or you can output your
window. Certainly, we anxiously await
Seattle, WA 98105
drawing to a plotter: Although you can use
economical and usable three-dimensional
(206) 525-7820
a mouse for data entry, this package needs
CAD on desktop micros.
(800) 392-9210
more input devices to create more detailed
Many three-dimensional programs are
and accurate drawings. Keep an eye on 4
available, but they are expensive. Several
Available for less than $300, 3Design is
Point.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 185
Looking For
Hardware And
Software Bargains?
ComputerFest/USA is the high-energy, no-frills computer show where you can
really get into it — lots of action and great deals.
This is the show where manufacturers and commercial vendors sell discounted
personal computing hardware and software. And, individuals sell their used equipment
and software at incredibly low prices.
At ComputerFest/USA, you'll find great bargains on everything from complete systems
to integrated circuits, diskettes to disk drives, furniture, consumer electronics,
business/recreation/application software, supplies, books, magazines, and more!
BUYER INFORMATION:
Technical Professionals: This is the show for engineers, programmers, technicians and other
hardware and software professionals who know what they're looking for.
Non-Technical Buyers: ComputerFest/USA is also an opportunity for the non-technical buyer
to purchase new and used equipment at mail order prices! And, there's a Free Consulting
Booth at the show, so you can get technical questions answered before you buy.
SELLER INFORMATION:
Selling Booths: $225
("Contract Booths" are also available for individuals selling items acquired for their own
personal use. $45)
To request a selling package, call toll-free: (800) 872-3378 or call (415) 327-7810
ComputerFest/USA is coming to your area. During January, February and March of 1984,
ComputerFest/USA will be in the following cities:
•
.
Date
Area
Location
JANUARY
28th
Northern California
SC County Fairgrounds
344 Tully Road
San Jose, California
FEBRUARY
4th
Detroit
Michigan State Fair
1120 W. State Fair Ave., Detroit, Michigan
4th
Dallas/Ft. Worth
State Fair of Texas
Dallas, Texas
11th
NorthEastern United States
Exhibition Hall
(Boston Area)
50 Foster Street, Worcester, Massachusetts
25th
Northwestern United States
Western Washington Fair
(Seattle/Tacoma)
Highways 512 & 161 , Puyallup, Washington
25th
Chicago/Milwaukee
Grayslake County Fairgrounds
Highways 45 & 120, Grayslake, Illinois
MARCH
10th
SouthEastern United States
Marriott Hotel
(Atlanta)
Courtland & International, Atlanta, Georgia
10th
Southern California
Orange County Fairgrounds
88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, California
TO BE ANNOl
Minneapolis, MN Washington
, DC Houston, TX
This is COMPUTERFEST/USA !
■ Auctions □ Dancing Girls □ Door Prizes □ Free Consulting □ Consignment Table
■ Printers □ CRT's □ Portables □ Terminals □ Furniture □ Test Equipment D Books D Magazines D Miscellaneous
Components □ Consumer Electronics □ EPROMs and Programmers D ICs D Robots □ Modems □ Hard and Floppy Disk
Drives D Enclosures □ Keyboards □ Synthesizers □ A-D Converters □ Add-on PC Cards □ Buffers □ Cables D Mainframes D
Connectors □ Computer Paper □ Ribbons □ MULTIBUS Boards D Power Supplies □ Catalogs □ Games □ Computer Cases □
Extender Boards □ Real-time Clocks □ Joy Sticks □ Diskettes D Video Games D Video Equipment □ Communications □
Educational Software □ Expansion Memory D Disks □ Interface Boards □ And More
■ Apple □ IBM □ Microsoft □ S-100 □ CP/Mt □ Cromemco □ Morrow □ Kaypro □ Osborne □ Corona □ Commodore □
TRS-80J □ TI □ Epson D Zenith □ Shugart □ Altair D Zentec D Imsai D Atari □ Centronics D Processor Tech □ Diablo □
TeleVideo □ Oki-Data D USI □ Peachtree D VisiCorp D Ashton Tate □ Heath D And Many More
fCP/M is a trademark of Digital Research, Inc. JTRS-80 is a trademark of Tandy Corporation
Circle 99 on inquiry card.
COMPUTEHFEST
••••••• jj *g *^\*******
/
John Craig
Producer of ComputerFest/USA
The founding publisher of Info-
World, founding editor of Kilobaud
Microcomputing, co-editor of the
first computer hobbyist newsletter in
1974 and the former editor of
Creative Computing.
ComputerFest/USA, 140 University Avenue, Suite 16, Palo Alto, CA 94301
$ 1 00 Discount $ 1 00 Discount
ONE DOLLAR
DISCOUNT COUPON
Admission only $5.00 with this coupon
Show Hours
10-6:00
Tickets on Sale
at 9 am
COMPUTEHFEST
" J 'U*S*A*** , "
$ 1 00 DiSCOUnt 140 Univeristy Avenue, Suite 16, Palo Alto, CA 94301 $ 1°° DlSCOUH t
Please send more information on
ComputerFest/USA
I'm a: □ Buyer D Seller
Name
(Company)
Address
City
State
.Zip.
Phone .
Other CAD
Business Graphics
6FS Business Graphics
Business & Professional
Software Inc.
143 Binney St.
Cambridge, MA 02142
(617) 491-3377
(800) DIAL BPS
Chart-Master
Decision Resources
25 Sylvan Rd. S
Westport, CT 06880
(203) 222-W4
Cheetah
Centec
11260 Roger Bacon Dr.
Reston, VA 22090
(703) 471-6300
Executive Briefing System
Lotus Development
Corporation
161 First St.
Cambridge, MA 02142
(617) 492-7171
Flexigraf
Computer Associates
International Inc.
125 Jericho Turnpike
Jericho, NY 11753
(516) 645-3003
Graftalk
Redding Group Inc.
609 Main St.
Ridgefield, CT 06877
(203) 431-4661
Software Packages
Graphwriter
Cypher Smartware
121 Second St.
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 974-5297
(800) SMARTWARE
SAS/Graph
SAS Institute Inc.
Box 8000, SAS Circle
Cary, NC 27511
(919) 467-8000
Tellagraf
Disspla
ISSCO Graphics
10505 Sorrento Valley Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121
(619) 452-0170
CAD
CADcal
CADcal Products Inc.
9311 Eton Ave.
Chatsworth, CA 91311
(213) 700-7888
Cascade 12.5 Designer
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POB 80318
Baton Rouge, LA 70898
(504) 769-2226
MGI
Microcomputer Graphics Inc.
POB 10819
Marina Del Rey, CA
90295
(213) 822-5258
Summadraft
Summagraphics Corporation
35 Brentwood Ave.
Fairfield, CT 06430
(203) 384-1344
CAD Circuit Routing
Dasoft
Dasoft Design Systems Inc.
2550 Ninth St., Suite 113
Berkeley, CA 94710
(415) 486-0822
Futurenet Dash-1
Futurenet
21018 Osborne St.
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(213) 700-0691
CAE
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125 University Ave.
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Tutsim
Applied i
200 California Ave., Suite 214
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(415) 325-4800
Graphics Utilities
Digiware
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Map ware
Computer Mathware
POB 1327
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(609) 924-6582
Grafmaker
DI-3000
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(303) 530-9000
Painting
Creative Graphics
Accupipe Corporation
222 West Lancaster Ave.
Paoli, PA 19301
(215) 296-7340
Painting, Business
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Data Digitizing System
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ULTRA-RES M GRAPHICS
IEEE-696 S-100 IBM-PC
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FEATURES
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188 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 55 on inquiry card.
THE COLUMBIA
IBM-PC COMPATIBLES.
THEYREWARDTWO
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Software on screens not included.
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Circle 67 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 189
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Color Monitor
Graphics Processor
(Frane Buffer)
Monochrome Monitor
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Pixel Based
■■■■■■■■• • • ■■• ••■■■■• •■■
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■■•■■• • ■■■■■■■«■■• • • ■■■■
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Vector Based
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Software Coordinate
System in RAM
Dot Matrix Printer
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 [Iff
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Hl-RES plotter
Input Device
(Digitizer/Mouse) Actual Image
Figure 1: Even when the monitor represents the drawing poorly, you can record an accurate database and produce a very high resolution hard copy.
Text continued from page 182:
and line appear when represented
by a variety of coordinate systems.
Each system has a different number
of data points to represent the image.
Fewer data points provide lower res-
olution and cruder representation,
resulting in jagged lines called stair-
stepping or aliasing.
Consider an input device capable
of recording data points with a reso-
lution of 0.001 inch and a coordinate
system capable of 1000 data points
per inch.
If you map the coordinate system
created by the CAD software to the
available pixels on the graphics
monitor (see figure 2), an input res-
olution of 0.001 inch is too detailed for
a world coordinate system of 320 by
200 pixels or even 2400 by 2400. This
resolution is adequate, however, for
a painting program where you either
take a photograph of the monitor or
do a pixel-by-pixel dump onto a hard-
copy device.
Figure 2: An image of the Golden Gate Bridge drawn with the 4 Point painting package and
plotted on a Sweet-P plotter. Note the series of short lines that represents the image on a pixel-
based system.
190 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 336 on inquiry card. •
Be confident because your
PowerType Daisywheel
corres
When you can't personally be there, only the
clearest typed correspondence should be your substi-
tute. With a PowerType Daisywheel printer your docu-
ments look highly professional. And so do you!
PowerType. It's "typewriter friendly." Using a
simple drop-in ribbon cassette, it bi-directionally
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with a print wheel that holds 96 flawless characters.
Designed for personal or business applica-
werType's carriage accepts paper that ranges
from letter to legal size, from fanfold to roll to cut
sheet. Yqu can set right and left margins, vertical and
horizontal tabs.
Plus, of course, PowerType has both serial
and parallel interfaces to enable it to connect to just
about any personal or business computer.
So the next time you're going face to face
through the mail, rely on PowerType. It will help you
make a professional impression. And that's always
very becdmina.
Figure 3: An image of the Golden Gate Bridge drawn with high-resolution, floating-point, vector-based AutoCAD software and plotted on
a high-resolution Houston Instrument DMP-42 plotter.
In an integer-based program with
a world coordinate system of 65,000
by 65,000 data points and a scale of
1000 data points per inch, you create
a 65- by 65-inch coordinate system to
an accuracy of 0.001 inch. The input
resolution matches that of the soft-
ware coordinate system.
With a floating-point-based pro-
gram (see figure 3), a potential reso-
lution of 1 x 10 15 by 1 x 10 15 data
points more than accommodates the
capability of the 0.001-inch input
device. Zooming and viewing allow
you to take advantage of this dif-
ference.
Although the software database ac-
curately records the image received
from the input device in these last
two examples, when you send the
image through the graphics pro-
cessor and onto the monitor, the
results are often less than satisfactory.
The physical resolution of the display
device has nowhere near the resolu-
tion capability of either the input or
software world coordinate systems.
The software records the image accu-
rately, but the best available video
representation is not all that good.
Now consider an output device,
such as a plotter, with a physical res-
olution of 0.002 inch (determined by
the step size of its motor). An output
resolution of 0.001 inch provides an
image whose jaggedness is barely
perceptible. On the other hand, if the
database resolution is less than the
plotter's, a circle looks like a many-
sided polygon. If it is intelligent
enough to draw a circle using a center
and a radius, the plotter defines the
resolution of the circle. With the
pixel-based system, however, each
pixel shows on the plotter as a line
or dot, and the resolution is as crude
as the one on the monitor.
A floating-point system permits a
decimal rescale of virtually any pro-
portion, while an integer-based sys-
tem often permits rescaling the data-
base image only in fractions of the
database unit, such as %, V4, or V2.
This potential limitation is a problem
only if it hinders the drawing task at
hand.
Zooming, Panning,
Windows, and Views
Zooming in and out (see figure 4)
fills the monitor screen with various
views of the world coordinate system,
both near and far— a very desirable
software feature.
Zooming in creates a window that
fills the monitor screen with a close-
up of part of your drawing. The
drawing resolution is coarser because
an image that normally occupies %<>
of the screen now occupies Vi of it
with the same number of data points.
The scale of the monitor image is dif-
ferent, but the world coordinate and
grid systems remain the same. You
can add more detail, and the input
device appears capable of a higher
resolution.
In an integer-based system where
the input resolution matches the soft-
ware coordinate system's resolution,
if you zoom in on a 1- by 1-inch por-
tion of the drawing, the resolution is
1000 by 1000 data points. There is no
point in zooming in any further
because you have already used the
maximum resolution available.
To give you an idea of the magnifi-
cation possible in a floating-point
coordinate system with 1 x 10 15 by
1 x 10 15 resolution, you can zoom in
from a view of a football field to an
8V2- by 11-inch sheet of paper on the
50-yard line, read the writing on it,
and then zoom further inside one of
the letters on the page to do some
detailed drawing.
Zooming out is the reverse of
zooming in. After you zoom in on an
area to do some detailed drawing,
192 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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BY -184
BYTE January 1984 193
Drawing
Digitizer
ZDDM IN
21
ZDDMING
RAM / DATABASE
■ • • — r*-^ ■
• . • •
. x .• •
■> ^J
ZDDM DUT
■"••.
/
p
:
« . • •
t ■ * *
• • • *
*
» * •
I T •
\o \ o -
Plotter
y\ \
Figure 4: Zooming, enlarging small parts of an image, changes the scale of the drawing in relation to the monitor.
you zoom out to see the entire draw-
ing again. With some software, you
save these zooms, windows, or views
to disk and call them back at any
time.
Panning scrolls the zoomed-in win-
dow over the world coordinate sys-
tem—wandering around the draw-
ing. When you are doing detail work,
it is easier to move to a new area than
to zoom out and back in again.
194 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
How RAM and Disk
Storage Are Used
The way a program utilizes RAM
and disk storage is important. Figure
5 shows a block diagram of the inter-
play between RAM and storage.
Typically, the CAD software loads
only the necessary program code in-
to RAM, leaving Help files and a
number of program overlays on disk
until needed. These overhead items
determine the workspace left to ma-
nipulate the world coordinate system
and the resulting database. In gener-
al, the less RAM you have, the more
overlays and disk I/O you need. In a
CP/M system with 64K bytes, many
overlays are needed to run such a
large and powerful program.
What determines the maximum
size of your drawing? A drawing is
"RAM bound" if its size or the num-
Text continued on page 198
©
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BYTE January 1984 195
Your troubles
There's a NewWord
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NewWord is available without trade-in for $249.00
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is a registered trademark of MicroPro International, Inc. • CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc. • NewWord and NewStar are trademarks of NewStar, Inc.
BYTE January 1984 197
Synbols/shapes/f onts
nenus stored In RAM
Drivers/Utilities
Program Overlays
Program Overhead
Operating System
OVERHEAD
Expandable to Hard Disk?
(How large are drawings?)
\Lqacj^ /_ Sav
Load
<^ ~Load I
< Loaoi I
Load
RAM
Drawing Database
File In Proprietary
File Format (?)
Interchange Format
Library of
Drawings and Shapes
Available
Symbols/shapes/fonts
menus stored in RAM
Drivers/Utilities
Program Overlays
Program Overhead
Dperatlng System
Dther
Programs
<Load__/__S_end>
Network
or Modem
DISK STDRAGE
Figure 5: The interplay between RAM and
Text continued from page 194:
ber of drawing entities you can place
in it are limited by the RAM available
or addressable. Some software pack-
ages (e.g., a pixel-based painting
package) have a fixed coordinate sys-
tem mapped out. Some software and
hardware limit the amount of avail-
able RAM or determine the max-
imum amount of addressable RAM.
Expandability and addressability are
important features to consider.
When the size of your drawing
reaches the hardware or software
capacity, the system should give you
a warning message rather than kick
you out to the A> prompt. At the
very least, you want an opportunity
to save your work. Some software
overflows the drawing database to
disk (called paging), the same as a
good word processor does. This
allows your drawing to exceed the
capacity of RAM.
If the software limits your drawing
to a certain number of drawing ele-
ments, you are "element bound." For
example, you might be limited to
198 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
disk storage.
3000 data points, vectors, vertices, or
polygons or to 10,000 shapes, com-
ponents, blocks, groups, or dic-
tionary items.
If the software limits your drawing
by the amount of disk storage avail-
able, you are "disk bound."
As attractive as a software package
is, you must match the requirements
of your typical drawings with these
CAD limitations.
A truly powerful CAD configura-
tion is capable of paging, uses a large
number of drawing elements, and in-
cludes a large amount of hard-disk
storage to minimize the risk of being
disk bound. If you anticipate a
significant amount of disk I/O, con-
sider a hard-disk system. If your time
is valuable and you expect to use
your system a lot, make sure it is big
enough to meet your drawing needs
in terms of speed and capacity.
A Buyer's Guide
The list of features described in the
table comparisons (tables 5, 6, and 7)
is food for thought but is certainly not
complete. When you go to buy your
CAD package, ask pertinent ques-
tions and expect answers. At the very
least, you will be referred to a more
informed individual. This way, you
begin the journey to a wise decision.
Many vendors and program devel-
opers give demonstrations. Attend
some if possible. If you can't take the
time for all this, hire a good consul-
tant. Here are some questions and
features to consider.
The vendor's update policy is ex-
tremely important. This industry is
changing so rapidly that products are
in a constant state of evolution. How
will the vendor notify you of program
improvements or revisions? If you're
a licensed owner, do you receive a
newsletter or revision/update notifi-
cation? Check it out.
What training or support does the
vendor offer? Do you get support
through an "800" number? Is the
software portable? If you want to use
your drawings on a variety of com-
Text continued on page 202
X-NEF Local Area Network
Broadens The Horizons Of All IBM PC's;
Breakthrough! X-NET and the industry's
leading accounting package have been linked
to broaden the capabilities of all IBM PC's.
Here are the benefits of this breakthrough and what they
mean to you.
1 . READY ACCESS TO ALL
INFORMATION. With X-NET, any computer can get
information from any other computer on the network. This
means more than one operator can be entering orders,
invoicing, changing inventory. . . all at the same time! But
where security is needed, you can keep any file private while
still within the network.
2. YOU CAN START SMALL. . . Even if you
have as few as two PC's, you'll have a system that is easily
expandable and will grow with your company.
3. • • • OR GET BIGGER. X-NET grows as you grow,
and networks up to 255 PC's, and best of all, expansion is so
simple, you can do it yourself.
4. SUPERIOR ACCOUNTING
SOFTWARE. X-NETs software includes Accounts
Receivable, General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Order Entry,
Inventory Control and Payroll. You can still use your Spread
Sheet and Word Processing software, but now much more
effectively because your computer power is tied together.
5. ELECTRONIC MAIL. Send, receive and record
inter-office communications without ever leaving your desk or
interrupting an important business meeting.
6. AFFORDABI LITY. X-NET is truly affordable to any
company doing computing on any level. And the software is
priced comparably to what others are charging for no-growth
single-user software.
7. NO COSTLY CENTRAL FILE SERVER.
X-NET eliminates the need of having an expensive
computer to act as a Central File Server, something other
networks require.
8. SHARE YOUR PERIPHERALS. No longer
does each of your computers need its own set of peripherals.
Any computer on X-NET is linked to your printers, plotters,
disk-drives, etc. A huge money-saver!
Get the best of both worlds. The X-NET Local Area Network
with superior software packages, and XCOMP's other
hardware accessories. Call your local dealer or XCOMP today.
*X-NET also operates on IBM PC compatibles.
XCOMP, Inc.
3554 Ruffin Road South
San Diego, CA 92123-2502
619-573-0077
TELEX: 182786
XCOMP
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
X-NET is a trademark of XCOMP, INC.
©1983 XCOMP, INC. Circle 385 on inquiry card.
Vector
Drawing
Primitive Features
PC-Draw
CADdraft
Benchmark
Sketch
Processor
CADplan
AutoCAD
VersaCAD
Keyboard Data Entry
All entries
•
•
Coordinate entry
•
Absolute coordinates
•
Relative coordinates
Polar coordinates
Color
12/83
1/84
1/84
Freehand draw
•
•
i
Lines
•
•
Line types
•
Line weights/widths
•
Rubber-band lines
•
Arcs (2 pt. and center)
•
Arcs (3 pts.)
•
Arcs (angle specification)
•
Arc line weight
Circle (radius and center)
•
•
•
•
Circle (diameter)
•
Circle (3 pts.)
•
Circle line weight
Ellipse
•
•
Bezier curves
cubic spline
Curve smoothing
1/84
*
•
Fillets
Fill irregular shape
•
•
•
11/84
•
Fill w/color
•
•
•
11/84
•
Crosshatch
11/84
Fill/hatch user-definable
•
11/84
Fill/hatch part of database
•
•
11/84
Text
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fonts supplied
•
•
Fonts user-definable
•
•
3/84
Height scaling
•
1/84
•
•
Width scaling
•
1/84
•
•
Weight
•
Rotation
•
•
1/84
•
•
Left justification
•
•
•
•
•
•
Right justification
1/84
•
4/84
Center justification
1/84
•
4/84
Word-processor mode
•
1/84
•
3/84
Table 5: A comparison of pr
imitive features.
• = existing feature
* = outstanding feature
date = expected release date
Through the Trap Door
March 1979— $35
Breaking the Sound Barrier
September 1977— $35
BYTECOVERS
The prints shown at left are beautiful Collector Edition Byte Covers,
strictly limited to 750 prints each, and signed and numbered by the
artist, Robert Tinney, Each print is 18 in. x 22 in., and is accompanied
by its own Certificate of Authenticity. To order, use the coupon below.
Visa and MasterCard orders may call 1-504-272-7266.
| Please send .
Trap Door prints ($35),-
Through the
□ Visa
Card No. .
Breaking the Sound Barrier Expires: .
prints ($35), or sets of both prints N am e:
($55). I have included $3 per order shipping Address:
and handling ($8 overseas) . Q ty .
□ I have enclosed check or money order State:
□ MasterCard
_Zip:
Robert Tinney Graphics • 1864 N. Pamela Dr. ■ Baton Rouge, LA 70815
200 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 500 on inquiry card.
FREE dBASE II SALESMAN
At SoftwareBanc Dealer
Services, we'll do anything
to help you sell dBASE 117
We even tried sending the
country's leading dBASE II
authority, Adam B. Green,
to all of our dealers. After
the first time, Adam
wouldn't agree to being
shipped UPS again, even
after we offered to punch
holes in the carton.
Instead, we videotaped
him explaining dBASE 1 1;
and interviewing George
Tate, Wayne Rati iff, and
Fox&Geller.
Make us your dBASE II™
distributor and we'll send
you a free copy of this innovative videotape, as well as the
bestselling dBASE IT User's Guide. We can also help increase
your dBASE II™ profits with our full line of add-on products
and "Mix & Match" pricing.
Meanwhile, we'll work on sending you the real thing. Do you think
putting lettuce on the bottom of the carton would help?
Location courtesy of Tech Computer Store, Cambridge, Massachusetts
661 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, Massachusetts 02174
Hours: Mon-Fri, 9AM-8PM EST; Sat, 9AM-5PM EST
To order call: (800) 451-2502 or (617) 641-1241 in Massachusetts.
For technical support call: (617) 641-1235.
Call us today and join the thousands of smart dealers who enjoy great
^prices, unbeatable technical support, and fast deliveries.
Circle 330 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 201
Vector
Drawing
Editing Features
PC-Draw
CADdraft
Benchmark
Sketch
Processor
CADplan
AutoCAD
VersaCAD
Edit Control
Cursor style change
•
Coordinate dial
•
•
Status on screen
•
•
Status of item
Status report
Pan
•
•
Zoom by scaling
•
Zoom by window
•
Refresh (raster redraw)
' •
•
•
Move item
•
• '
•
•
Move group of items
•
•
Move by window
Move between layers
•
Move and rotate
•
1/84
Move and scale
•
•
Copy item/group of items
•
•
•
Copy from disk
•
•
•
Copy by window
Copy window to disk
•
Copy between layers
•
Copy and rotate
•
•
Copy and scale
•
•
Identify an item
•
Erase item/group of items
•
•
•
Erase by window
•
•
Erase a layer
•
Erase a shape
•
•
•
Erase previous/beyond previous
•
•
Restore last
•
Restore beyond last
•
Partial Delete of:
Lines
•
•
•
Arcs
•
Circles
•
Ellipses
Solids
Rubber-banding windows
•
•
Naming of items
•
Shapes/groups/blocks
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Multiple colors/
•
•
•
multiple layers
•
Explode
•
Nesting
•
•
Save to disk
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Drawing libraries on disk
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Merge with current drawing
•
•
•
•
• |
Merge exploded
•
Merge and rotate/scale
•
Modify base point
•
•
Directory of disk files
while in drawing editor
•
•
•
•
•
•
Table 6: A comparison of editing features.
• = existing feature
* = outstanding feature
date = expected release date
Text continued from page 198:
puters, the software needs to support
them. If someone borrows your plot-
ter and you want to attach a different
one, is the software flexible enough
to reconfigure on the fly?
Is the software language used by
the package upwardly mobile? Does
it have a file-structure option other
than the drawing file format? In other
words, can you communicate with
other programs, or are you locked in-
to this particular vendor? Do you
receive a detailed description of the
drawing file structure?
Good documentation helps im-
202 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
computers
wholesale
315-472 3055
Box 150 Brewerton,N.Y. 13020
Reader Service # 106
We
♦»7
We pay UPS shipping charges
on prepaid orders.
-TERMIIMALS-
ESPRIT
Esprit
$469
Esprit II
. 499
Esprit III
.649
LEAR SEIGLER
ADM3A
. 529
ADM II
. 539
ADM 36
.979
QUME
102
■ 549
102A (Amber)
108
. 569
. 715
TELEVIDEO
910
. 439
914
. 579
924
. 695
925
. 699
950
. 865
970
. 929
TEXAS INSTRUNMENTS
Tl 703 Printing Terminal
Tl 707 Print Term, w/modem. .
WYSE
50
. Call
.Call
. Call
300 (Color)
. Call
ZENITH
Z-29
. . 649
ZT-10
. 399
ZT-11
. 459
-MODEMS-
HAYES
Micro Modem 100
Micro Modem II
Smartmodem 300
Smartmodem 1200
Smartmodem 1200B
NOVATION
D-Cat
. 269
. 239
. 199
.498
. Call
. 149
J-Cat
. 105
Apple Cat II
. 259
103 Smart Cat
212 Auto Cat
Access 1-2-3
• 179
.399
. 549
. . 449
SIGNALMAN
Mkl $79 MkVII...
Mklll 99 Mkll
MkV 89 MkVI....
U.S. ROBOTICS
Auto Dial 212A
Password
$109
. 79
. Call
. 439
. 339
-SYSTEMS-
ALTOS
ACS 8000-10 $5889
ACS-8000-12 6995
ACS-8000-14 8789
Series 5-5D 3990
Series 5-15D 2199
580-10 3995
586-10 5995
586-40 8795
MTU-4 2395
Altos II Terminal 849
COLUMBIA
VP Portable Call
MPC Call
MPCw/HardDisk Call
CROMEMCO
C-10 Super Pak 1429
C 10 MP w/MicroPro software 1819
CS-1 3195
CS-2 3755
CS-3 5595
64 FDC 475
TUART 255
EAGLE
II E Series
IIE-1 II E 2
II E-3 II E-4
1600 Series
1620 1630
Advertised prices reflect a cash discount on
prepaid orders only. Most items are in stock
for immediate delivery in factory sealed cart-
oons with full factory warrantees.
PC Series
PC-E PC-1
PC-2 PC-XL
SPIRIT
Portable
— Callus today for the best prices—
INTERTEC CALL
MORROW
Micro Decision
MD-2 w/2 drives & software . . . 929
MD-3 w/DS drives & software 1199
MD-11 w/HD & software 1949
NEC
PC-8201 Call
PC-8801A Computer Call
PC-8831A Dual5%"disk drive. . Call
NORTHSTAR
Advantage 2Q Call
Advantage 1Q HD5 Call
HD 18 Mb. hard disk 3879
SANYO
MBC1100 $1399
MBC1200 1599
MBC4000 Call
MBC550 Call
TELEVIDEO
TS-803 1989
Portable Cali
ZENITH
ZF-100-21 2319
ZF-120-22 2869
ZF-120-32 4479
-PRIIMTERS-
ANADEX
DP-9501 $1099
DP-9620 1199
DP 9625 1299
DP-6500 2399
WP-6000 2159
CENTRONICS
730-1 Parallel 199
739-3 Serial 449
COEX 80 FT parallel 239
C.ITOH
Prowriter 8510A Par 369
Prowriter8510A Ser 569
Prowriter II Par 669
Prowriter II Ser 739
DIABLO
620RO25CPS 919
630RO40CPS 1769
EPSON
RX-80 Call
RX-80FT Call
FX-80 Call
FX-100 Call
GEMINI
10X
15X
295
435
MANNESMAN TALLEY
MT-160 1 529
MT-160L 599
MT-180 L 859
SPIRIT Call
NEC NEW NEC 2000 Call
3510 $1445 3530 $1490
3550 .1845 7710 1949
7715 1949 8023 399
OKI DATA
ML-82A 299
ML-83A 569
ML-92Par 449
ML-92Ser 529
ML-93Par 709
Pacemark 2350 Call
Pacemark 2410 Call
PANASONIC
KX-P1090 319
QUME
Sprint 11/40 1299
Sprint 11/55 1499
SILVER REED
EXP 500 Par 459
EXP 550 Par 659
EXP 550 Ser 689
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS
Tl 810 Basic 1199
TI810LQ 1919
TI850Par 499
Tl 855 Call
-MONITORS-
AMDEK
Color I $275
Color 1+ 319
Color II (RGB) 399
Color III (RGB) 349
300 G (12"green) 135
300 A (12"amber) 145
310 A (IBM PC) 169
BMC
15 MHZ (12"green) 79
NEC
JB-1260 (12" amber) 109
JB-1201 (12" green) 135
JC-1212 (12"color) 339
JC-1203(12"RGB) 549
PANASONIC
12" Green Monochrome 169
12" Amber Monochrome 179
13" RGB 389
TEXAN
KG12N(12"gr.) 129
RGB Vision I (12'color) 299
ZENITH
Z-122(12"green) 109
Z-123(12"amber) 139
Z-131 (13"color + gr.) 299
Z-135(RGB) 519
-HARD DISKS-
CORVUS
Model 6 1869
Model11 2549
Model 20 3399
Omninet6 1695
Omninet 11 2375
Omninet 20 3225
Miror Back-up 670
-DISKETTES-
3M/ Scotch
5 1 /4". ..$21. 95
(Single Sided, Double Density)
5 1 /4". . . $30. 95
(Double Sided, Double Density)
if you can't find what you
need fisted here J us t call for
the best prices on the items
you require.
N.Y. residents, add appropriate sales tax.
We accept VISA and Master Card. Personal
and company checks, allow2weeks to clear.
C.O.D.'s require a 25% deposit. All prices
and offers may be withdrawn without notice
Vector
Drawing
Miscellaneous Features
PC-Draw
CADdraft
Benchmark
Sketch
Processor
CADplan
AutoCAD
VersaCAD
Math Calculations
Distance
•
1/84
•
•
•
Area
1/84
•
•
•
Area— irregular
1/84
•
•
•
Volume
Angle
•
•
•
Feet and inches
•
•
•
•
Dimensioning
Autodimensioning
1/84
•
•
Angular dimensioning
•
Associative dimensioning
Miscellaneous
Grid/user-definable grid
•
•
•
•
•
•
Different x and y scales
•
•
Grid snap
•
•
•
•
Multiple definitions
•
•
•
•
•
Auto change with rescale/zoom
Tolerance/incremental snap
•
•
•
•
Layers
•
•
Mixed color on one layer
•
•
Define attributes of layer
Move between layers
•
■
Regenerate only active layers
■
Plot only active layers
•
•
Save only active layers
•
Rectangular arrays
Radial arrays
^ •
Menu on screen in editor
•
•
•
12/84
Menu on input device
•
•
12/83
Menu user-definable
•
•
■
4/84
Command (macro) files in
menu
6/84
Other command file use
•
•
•
Symbols on digitizer
•
•
Symbols (icons) on screen
•
CAE utilities
•
•
•
CAM utilities
•
Three-dimensional interface
•
Table 7: A comparison of miscellaneous features.
• = existing feature
* = outstanding feature
date = expected release date
mensely in taking you through the
learning process. You want a well-
organized manual, a good table of
contents, a setup and hardware con-
figuration section, a strong tutorial
section, a full discussion of features
with examples, a quick reference sec-
tion, a section on error messages, a
good index, and a glossary of terms.
It is important to have a manual with
illustrations from the CAD program
itself.
Look for sample drawings or an in-
teractive tutorial on disk and Help
files accessible without having to
leave the drawing editor. See that
prompts are helpful and don't stand
in the way of your drawing. It is con-
venient to have a directory of the files
The cost of hardware
is falling, while
quality and capability
are on the increase.
on the disk available from within the
graphics editor as well.
Summary
I hope this whets your appetite for
graphics. Graphics image processing
offers an electronic frontier every bit
as exciting to explore as it once was
to migrate west to mine for gold.
CAD software is becoming more
powerful and reasonably priced. The
cost of hardware is falling dramatical-
ly, while quality and capability are on
the increase. More power and capa-
bility are coming, but is all the work
we do now translatable into the
future?
It is difficult to draw conclusions
about whether one software package
is better than another. That decision
is largely determined by your per-
204 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
NEW YEAR
SPECIALS
LOTUS 123 SCall
Transtar 315 Color Printer $489
64K RAM for IBM $55
Smartmodem 300 $205
CABLES
4FT PARALLEL $35
4FT SERIAL $40
Microsoft Premium pack $489
NEC Spinwriters ALL Models SCall
OTRONA ATTACHE $2595
BASIS 108 128KCP/M 3.0 $1999
PROWRITER I $389
PROWRITER II $659
EPSON FX-100 $725
RANA ELITE I $245
RANA ELITE II $380
RANA 1000 (FOR ATARI) $309
BUFFERED 6RAPPLER
16K $179
32K $199
64K $239
MULTIPLAN IBM, Apple ll/lle $169
IBM PC DSDD Drive
TANDON DRIVE $239
RANA $299
QUENTIN $275
FOURTH DIMENSION $275
CUSTOMER SERVICE & TECH. SUPPORT
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GenTech
COMPUTERS
FRANKLIN
ACE 1000w/color $799
ACE PRO PLUS Systems. ACE 1000
w/color,ACE 10 Drive, 80-Column Card,
ACE Writer II, ACE Calc. Monitor, Data
Perfect, Personal Financier SCall
ACE 1200 (128K, Dual Processor,
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ACE Office Management System
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COLUMBIA
128K Ram, Dual DSDD (640K) Drives.
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Portable VP w/Superpack $Call
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MD2 64K. 2 SSOO Drives, WordStar.
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Software PLUS QUEST Accounting
Package SCall
MD11 128K. 400K OR. 2 Serial.
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Multi User Decision Series SCall
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SANYO MBC 550 SCall
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OMP 40 $879
OMP 29 (8 COLOR 11 x 17 PAPER) . . $1995
OMP 41 (SINGLE PEN 22 x 17 INCH) . $2599
Fourth Dimension Super Drive $219
80-Col. W/64K (lie Only) $189
16KRAM . . $49
ALS CP/M Card $299
ALS Dispatcher $89
Microsoft SoftCard $239
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Graphitti $95
Pkaso card $129
IS Pipeline , SCall
Microtek Dumpling GX $99
Microtek Dumpling 16(16K) $169
EPO Surge Protectors SCall
PLOTTERS
FOR IBM PC
AST RESEARCH INC.
MEGA PLUS
64K w/Serial & Clock/Cal
128KS379, 192K $449. 256K $489
$279
64K w/Ser. Par & Clock $399
128KS459. 192KS579, 256KS599
MEGA PAK256K Module $289
SIX PACK PLUS SCall
COMBO PLUS
64K w/Serial & Parallel $279
128KS369, 192K $419, 256K $499
I/O PLUS $129
Serial $39, Parallel $39, Game port $39
QUADRAM
QUARDBOARD
64K $279
256K $419
512+ EXPANSION BOARD
Quad512+(64K) $239
Quad 512+(256K) $399
Quad 512+(512K) $639
QUAOLINK $489
MICROFAZER
P/P (Parallel/Parallel)
8K $125, 64K $199. 128KS309
256K $589. 512K $899
S/P, P/S, S/S
8K $145. 16K $165. 32K $195. 64K $229
9VPowerSupply $16.99
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COMREX
COMFILER 10 MB FOR QX-10 $1995
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20 MB . . . $3150 21 MB . . . $2495
XCOMP QCS
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RX-80 $299
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MX-100 $599
FX-80 $569
STAR MICRONICS
GEMINI 10X $299
GEMINI 15/15X SCall
OKIDATA
MICROLINE 92 $449
MICROLINE 93 $729
MICROLINE 84 P $979
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MT160L (160 CPS) $615
MT180L (15" Carriage) $875
INFO RUNNER RITEMAN SCall
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C-ITOH
F-10 STARWRITER . .
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COMRITER II Ser (5K) $509
DAISYWRITER
2000 EXP (48K BUFFER) $1019
JUKI (18 CPS 15") $525
NEC SPINWRITER SCall
OUME SPRINT 11/40 $1345
SILVER REED
EXP550P . . $639 EXP550S . . $679
EXP 500P . . $439 EXP 500S . . $469
TRANSTAR T315. T120.T130 &T140. . SCall
MONITORS
AMDEK
300G SCall 300A. .... SCall
COLOR I . . . SCall COLOR III . . $359
COMREX color, green, amber SCall
PRINCETON GRAPHICS HX-12 $499
OUADSCREEN SCall
TAXAN
RGB VISION I $275
WITH APPLE II+ CABLE & INTERFACE . $345
RGB INTERFACE for Apple He SCall
RGB VISION III $519
KG 12N-UY (12" amber) $135
USIPI-1 (9" green) $79
TERMINALS
Freedom 100 (11 FTN Key green). . . . $499
Visual 50 Detachable KYBD $589
Televideo 910+ $565
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MODEMS
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NOVATION
ACCESS 1-2-3 SCall
CAT 300 BAUD Acoustic $144
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J-CAT300 $109
APPLE CAT II $269
212 APPLE CAT II $575
103 SMART CAT $179
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SSM
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1200 BAUD MODEM CARD $529
TRANSEND 1/2/3 $69/$109/$209
US ROBOTICS
PASSWORD SCall
VEN-TEL SCall
3M SSDO Diskette $24
3M OSOD Diskette. $Ca11
OYSAN SSDO $37
OYSAN OSOO SCall
Verbatim SSOO $25
Verbatim OSOO $34
Circle 168 on inquiry card.
sonal preference and application.
Take the time to make sure the soft-
ware/hardware configuration you
purchase is, or will be, equal to your
drawing needs (see figure 6). Above
all, ask the right questions and get
satisfactory answers. ■
Rik Jadrnicek is president of Micro Flow (POB
1147, Mill Valley, CA 94942), a microcomputer con-
sulting firm. When he isn't writing or playing with
micros, Rik likes sailing and traveling.
For Further
Information
Newsletters
The Anderson Report
Anderson Publishing Company
4505 East Industrial St., Suite 2]
Simi Valley, CA 93063
(805) 581-1184: Published monthly
CAD/CAM Alert
The Management Roundtable Inc.
822Boylston St.
Chestnut Hill, MA 02167
Published monthly
The S. Klein Newsletter on
Computer Graphics
Technology & Business Communications
Inc.
POB 89, 730 Boston Post Rd.
Sudbury, MA 01776
(617) 443-4671 Published twice monthly
Directories
1983 Publications Catalog
IEEE Computer Society
Administrative Offices
POB 639
Silver Spring, MD 20901
Source of books on graphics
The S. Klein Directory of
Computer Graphics Suppliers
Technology & Business Communications
Inc.
POB 392, 730 Boston Post Rd.
Sudbury, MA 01776
Hardware, software, systems, and services
Periodicals
Computer Design
119 Russell St.
Littleton, MA 01460
PREPARE A DEFINITION
OF YOUR GRAPHICS NEEDS
RESEARCH STATE-OF-THE-ART
GRAPHICS SOFTWARE
AND HARDWARE
REVIEW THE FEATURES
OF SEVERAL GRAPHICS
SOFTWARE PACKAGES
DECIDE ON SEVERAL
POTENTIAL PACKAGES
AND PREPARE A LIST
OF HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
FOR EACH PACKAGE
RESEARCH AND SELECT
A COMPUTER (CPU)
■J
YES
RESEARCH AND SELECT
AN INPUT DEVICE
RESEARCH AND SELECT
A GRAPHICS PROCESSOR
(FRAME BUFFER)
YES
RESEARCH AND SELECT
A HIGH-RESOLUTION
MONITOR (CRT)
YES
RESEARCH AND SELECT
HARD COPY
OUTPUT DEVICE
(PLOTTER/PRINTER)
CONFIGURE THE HARDWARE
PREPARE CABLES
SETUP PROPER PORTS
INSTALL PROPER RAM
SET PROTOCOLS BURN-IN
Figure 6: How to buy a CAD system.
Computer Graphics and Applications
IEEE Computer Society
10662 Los Vaqueros Circle
LosAlamitos, CA 90720
(714) 821-8380
Computer Graphics World
Computer Graphics World
Publishing Company Inc.
POB 122
Tulsa, OK 74101
(800) 331-5959
Cray Channels
Cray Research Inc.
POB 154
Minneapolis, MN 55440
(612) 333-5889
Digital Design
Morgan-Grampian Publishing Company
1050 Commonwealth Ave.
Boston, MA 02215
Electronic Imaging
Berkshire Common
Pittsfield, MA 01201
206 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 268 on inquiry card. «
With the p-System from
For: IBM PC & XT CORONA COLUMBIA EAGLE COMPAQ COLBY DOT HYPERION
Do you feel stifled by your operating
system? The p-System from NCI will •
release you. It is the complete program
development environment for the IBM
Personal Computer and compatibles. This
is the fast p-System with the special
p-machine emulator developed by NCI.
The p-System from NCI gives you
everything you need in one system at far
less than the cost to add similar utilities
to any other OS. It includes a powerful
screen editor, a multi-function file
manager and RAMdisk support for fast
access to files. Dynamic memory
allocation lets you create programs larger
than 64K and a print buffer frees your
computer to perform other tasks while
printing.
This operating system is stable; friendly
and easy to use. Command options are
presented on a menu requiring only a
single keystroke. The 8087 Numeric
Coprocessor Support allows extremely fast
floating point calculations and the
asynchronous I/O lets you use serial
printer and communications routines.
With the p-System you can choose either
UCSD Pascal, Fortran 77 or Basic as your
programming language. NCI also offers
hard disk support for the IBM XT,
Corona, Columbia, Corvus, Tallgrass,
Davong, Genie 5+5, QCS, Datamac,
SPEED. PORTABILITY. RELIABILITY.
OMNINET support can easily be added
as well as memory cards from AST
Research and Tall Tree Systems, the
Colorplus card and the Hercules graphics
card.
When you buy the p-System from NCI you
get technical support and complete
documentation.
For full details call or write:
Network Consulting Inc.
Discovery Park,
Suite 110- 3700 Gilmore Way
Bumaby, B.C. Canada V5G 4M1
(604) 430-3466
sonal Computer XT are trade marks of International Bu
ty of California. OMNINET is a trade mark of Corvus Sy
iss Machines Corporation. The p-System™ is a trade mark of Softech Microsystems. Inc. UCSD Pascal i
ms Inc. 5+5 is a trade mark of Genie Computer Corporation. Colorplus is a trade mark of Frederick Elec
Glossary of CAD Terms
absolute coordinates: the location of a
point in terms of x, y, or z distance from
the predefined origin.
absolute vector: a line segment with an
endpoint expressed in x, y, and z co-
ordinates.
aliasing: the stairstep effect on a raster dis-
play lacking the resolution to reproduce
diagonals or circles as smooth images.
antialiasing: the software adjustment of
raster -pixel addressing to make diagonal or
curved lines appear smooth and continu-
ous.
aspect ratio: a design engineering term
meaning the ratio of display width to dis-
play height.
associative dimensioning: updating di-
mensions of individual CAD/CAM display
elements as display dimensions change.
attribute: any characteristic of a display
item (color, line style, character font) or as-
sociated descriptor (style, shape, tolerance,
part type or number).
beam-penetration CRT: this produces
color by varying the electron-beam penetra-
tion of a multilayer phosphor display
surface.
Bezier curve: a method of curve fitting
(smoothing) by manipulating two line
segments and the curves that are tangent
to their surfaces.
bit map: the digital representation of an
image in which bits are mapped to pixels.
In color graphics, a different bit map is
used for each red, green, and blue value.
bit plane: hardware used as a storage
medium for a bit map.
CAD: computer-aided design, drawing
with the aid of your computer.
CAE: computer-aided engineering, an in-
terface with mathematical analysis and
drawing capability.
CAI: computer-aided instruction, using
computers for individual and classroom in-
struction.
CAM: computer-aided manufacturing,
automated production.
clipping, windowing, and viewing:
the process of setting graphics-display
boundaries.
composite color: color information en-
coded in a single video signal.
computer animation: the use of com-
puter graphics to simulate or generate
images for motion pictures.
control dial: a graphics input device that
produces a continuous range of display
values.
coordinates: a number of x, y, and z units
that give the location of a point in a coor-
dinate system.
cross hairs: the cursor or two intersecting
perpendicular lines on display to indicate
coordinate location.
device coordinate system: the coor-
dinate system and axis length recognized
by the display device.
device-independent CAD: CAD soft-
ware capable of running on more than one
type of computer or input /output device.
digitize: to register a visual image or real
object in a format that can be processed by
the computer; data is read into the system
with a puck, cursor pad, or stylus.
dimensioning: setting measurements on
a CAD/CAM display; placement of dimen-
sion lines and arrowheads; calculation and
placement of dimension distances.
display: a collection of graphics elements
visible on the monitor.
dot matrix: a pattern of dots in a two-di-
mensional array.
dot-matrix plotter: a hard-copy device
that reproduces the display as a pattern of
dots.
dragging: leading an item, such as a user-
defined cursor, across the display with a
graphics input device.
draw: to generate a visible vector by mov-
ing a pen or by illuminating pixels between
the current position and an endpoint spec-
ified in coordinates (absolute draw) or in
displacements (relative draw).
echo: a graphics display, such as a text
string or cursor, that provides visual feed-
back to the operator.
electroacoustic tablet: a data tablet with
a writing surface of magnetostrictive
material capable of tracking a stylus.
electrostatic plotter: a raster hard-copy
device that produces images on paper sen-
sitized to electrostatic charges.
endpoint: the end of a line segment ex-
pressed in terms ofx, y, and z coordinates.
fill: solid coloring or shading of display
surface made by a pattern of line segments.
fillet: a design engineering term meaning
the concave transition surface between two
otherwise intersecting surfaces.
flatbed plotter: a plotter with a flat dis-
play surface that you move across, up,
down, and diagonally, with the plotting
head.
frame buffer: local raster memory that
stores the bit patterns mapped to pixels.
function key: the key on a function pad
that triggers a programmable operation
such as rotation or scaling.
geometric model: quantitative represen-
tation of a two- or three-dimensional ob-
ject created by referring to the Cartesian
coordinate grid.
grid: uniformly spaced intersecting lines
in two or three dimensions, which provide
addresses for graphics objects.
hatching: filling an area of the display
surface with a regular pattern of line seg-
ments.
icon: a graphics symbol representing a
menu item.
image digitizer: a video camera with an
electron-beam scanner that senses light and
transforms it into a video signal.
imaging: computer processing of graph-
ics data to produce a display.
incremental plotter: a hard-copy output
device that repeats a display at discrete
intervals.
incremental vector: a repeated vector de-
fined by a regularly increased or decreased
component and an absolute component.
ink-jet plotter: a hard-copy plotter that
uses electrostatics first to atomize ink, then
to place droplets on the plotting medium.
joystick: a graphics input device that posi-
tions a cursor, locator, or pick or initiates
a program change with a control lever.
laser plotter: this plotter uses a laser to
produce images on photographic film in
raster or vector format.
layer: logical two-dimensional CAD/CAM
data divisions that can be viewed in-
dividually or as overlays.
light pen: the graphics input device used
as a pick to identify a detectable display
element.
line style or type: a primitive attribute
that defines a line as solid or dashed and
gives the dash pattern and terminators.
line width or weight: this primitive at-
tribute defines a line's thickness.
mapping: transforming an image from
one coordinate system to another.
matrix: an array ofx, y, and z coefficients
for calculating a geometric transformation.
mirror: to create the reverse image of a dis-
play item.
mouse: a hand-held input device used to
position the cursor on the display surface.
numerical control: computer instruc-
tions that automate machine and drafting
tools.
origin: the zero intersection of x, y, and
z axes from which all points are calculated.
orthographic projection: graphics rep-
resentation of a three-dimensional object
lacking the perspective suggested by the
convergence of parallel lines. It permits
only vertical and horizontal line segments
in a two-dimensional drawing.
overlay: the plane of a graphics display
that can be superimposed on another plane.
paging: overflowing the drawing database
to disk.
208 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 471 on inquiry card.
painting: a raster design technique based
on illuminating pixels on a graphics dis-
play device.
pan: movement across the x and y grid.
parallax: apparent image translation from
its initial location to the point indicated by
a light pen.
perspective projection: simulation of
depth and distance by representing parallel
lines merging at a vanishing point.
pixel: the minimum raster display element
represented as a point with a specified color
or intensity level.
pixel replication: scaling by increasing
the number of pixels excited, but without
the increased detail of true magnification.
plotter: a computer-controlled pen device
that produces a hard copy of the display
on paper or an electrostatic surface.
polar coordinates: location of a point in
terms of the distance and angle from
another point.
polygon fill: coloring or cross-hatching
of a closed, multisided, program-defined
surface.
primitive: the basic display element:
point, segment, alphanumeric character, or
marker.
primitive attribute: a visual character-
istic of an output primitive, such as char-
acter size, line style, or blink rate.
puck: a hand-held device with cross hairs
used to input coordinate data.
RGB color: a color described in terms of
its red, green, and blue intensity levels.
RS-232: this serial interface permits link-
age of a host computer and graphics ter-
minals) or other peripherals over long
distances.
raster: a rectangular pixel matrix permit-
ting dynamic color displays.
raster display: a CRT display generated
by an electron beam that illuminates.
raster plotter: this plotter reproduces dis-
plays in dot -matrix patterns.
relative coordinates: location of a point
relative to another data point.
relative draw: movement of the electron
beam in terms of x, y, and z distances for
the purpose of drawing a visible vector on
the display surface.
relative move: electron-beam movement
in terms of x, y, and z distances without
leaving a visible trace on the display.
relative vector: a vector with an endpoint
specified in terms of the distance from the
current position rather than in tenns of ab-
solute x, !/, and z coordinates.
rotate: to transform a display or display
item by revolving it around a specified axis
or center point.
rubber banding: attaching the cursor to
a fixed display point with a line that ap-
pears to stretch and contract like a rubber
band as you move the cursor.
SIGGRAPH: Special Interest Group on
Computer Graphics.
scale: a size change made by multiplying
or dividing the coordinate dimensions.
scale factor: the value by which you
divide or multiply the display dimensions
in a scaling operation.
screen coordinate system: the coor-
dinate system of the display device; nor-
mally, the address limits of the axis length
it recognizes.
scrolling: moving text strings or graphics
vertically.
stairstepping: jagged raster representa-
tion of diagonals or curves; corrected by
antialiasing.
static attribute: an unchangeable display
characteristic of the input device.
tablet: a data tablet or digitizer; a graphics
input device that generates coordinate data
from visual data input through a puck or
stylus.
touch-sensitive display: a display sur-
face that receives data through physical
contact.
trace: a line of the graphics display.
trackball: this mounted rotatable ball
controls the position of the cursor and pro-
duces coordinate data.
transformation: geometric alteration of a
graphics display, such as scaling, transla-
tion, or rotation.
translate: to shift a display item across the
display surface to a new location.
turnkey: a computer system sold complete
and ready to use for a specific application;
requires no additional hardware modifica-
tion or planning.
viewport: the specified window on the
display surface that marks the limits of a
display.
virtual coordinate system: coordinate
system created by mapping a portion of the
world coordinate system to the space avail-
able on your device.
virtual space: space referenced with the
coordinates defined by the application.
window: a specified rectangular area of
virtual space shown on the display.
window clipping: blanking line seg-
ments at window boundaries.
wire frame: a three-dimensional image
displayed as a series of line segments out-
lining its surface.
world coordinate system: a device-in-
dependent coordinate system used to define
display objects.
zoom: to scale a display or display item
so it is magnified or reduced on the screen.
High Speed Interfaces
for Personal Computers
IBM PC
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IBM PC Compatibles
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Rainbow"' is a trademark of Digital Equipment Corp.
IBM PC" is a trademark of International Business Machines-
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 209
:^,..:.^ !
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$ 43
$ 99
S 500 $ 339
S 350 $ 239
S 850 $ 575
S 550 $ 375
S 350 $ 250
S 295 $ 185
S 99 S 62
S 50
S 60
S 34
$ 40
S 995 S 495
S 495 S 239
$ 250 $ 129
S 895 $ 429
S 275 $ 195
S 750 S 350
PLOTTERS
BAUSCH&LOMB, HOUSTON
DMP 40, 1 pen
DMP-29.8pen
DMP-41
AMDEK.DXY-100.10*x14-,Para
Amptottl. I0"x 14" *«->■-
LIST OUR
PRICE PRICE
S 725
$1695
$2250
S 749 $ 599
S1299 S999
Ea
HP12C S 1-20 $ 99
HP11C S 90 $ 75
41 C Calculator S 195 $ 149
41 CV Calculator w 2 2K Mem. S 275 $219
Call on accessories and software.
A
tor the ATARI
RANA 1000 Orive,320K
KOALA. Graphics Pad
S 449 $ 369
S 100 $ 75
DISKETTES
BROWN DISC
lOeach. Pulse IDS DO. 48TPI
10each.Pulsell.DSOD.96TP!
CDC
100each, SS. SD. 35T(Apple.Atari)
10each.SS.SD.35T(Apple,Atan)
100 each.SS. DD. 48T|Apple. IBM)
10each.SS.DD.48T(Apple,IBM)
10QeachDS.DD.48T.(IBM.HP)
10each.DS.DD.48T(IBM,HP)
DYSAN.lOeach.SSSD (Apple.elc )
10each.DSDD48T(IBW.HP.elc.)
MAXELL. l0each.MD-1,SS,DD
lleach.MD2-D.DSDD
MEMOREX
lOeach. SS DO TypeA (Apple.Atari)
tOeach.DSDD.TypeB(IBM.HP)
VERBATIM. 10each.MD52501.SSSD
»0each.MD34.DSDD
GENERIK" DISKETTES-
100eachSS.SD.35Track(Apple.Atari)
1 000 each SS. SD, 35 Track (Apple. Alan)
10feachDS.DD.40Track{!BM.H P)
1000each DS,DD.40Track IIBM . H P)
W jackets, no labels, lop quality 90 day limi
LIST OUR
PRICE PRICE
$ 45 $ 32
S 60 $ 45
S 450 $ 169
S 45 $ 18
S 550 $ 179
S 55 S 19
S750 $295
S 75 $ 35
S 69 $
S 89
S 55
S 75
$ 49
S 29
S 39
S 45 $ 23
S 60 $ 35
S 49 $ 25
S 84 $ 45
AS LOW AS $1
S 415 S 130
S4150 $995
S 626 $ 170
56260 $1400
iled warranty by us.
GENERIK™
DISKETTES
SSSD $1.00 Each
DSDD $1.40 Each
CDC
SSSD $1.69 Each
Minimum order quantities apply.
See above money back guarantee
is by COMX Corporation not ua.
MODEMS ACCESSORIES
ANCHOR. Signalman MK I Modem (RS232)
Mark XII
HAYES. IBM-PC Smaitmodem 1200 B
IBM-PC Smartcom II Software
Slack Chronograph (RS-232)
Stack Smarimcden> 300 (RS-232)
Smartmodem 1200 (RS-232)
MicfomodemlOO(S-IOObus)
Micromodem II (tor the Apple II)
Apple Terminal Program
IBM-PC to Modem Cable
NOVATION, All betow requireRS-232
ApplecalllModom,300BAUD
212AppteCat, 1200BAUD
PC-CatwithCrosslalk
Cat
D-Cat
J-Cal
212AutoCat
SmartCatl03'212
SSM, Transcend 1 for ApplellDataComm.
ModernCardlormeApptell
Transmodem 1200(110/300/1200)
LIST OUR
PRICE PRICE
S 399 $ 269
S 599
$ 119
$4
$ 89
S 249 $ 189
S 289 $ 225
$ 699 $ 535
S 399 S 275
$ 379 $ 275
S 100
S
$ 65
$ 29
$ 725 S 559
$ 595 $ 419
S 189 $ 139
S 199 $ 159
S 149 $ 104
S 695 S 579
S 299 $ 259
S 695 S 559
SOFTWARE.SEE APPLE OR IBM UTILITY SOFTW ARESECTIONS
MONITORS ^ESSORES
•AMDEK. 12"Green, #300G
• 12" Amber, #300A
• 1ZAmber.310AlorlBM-PC
• 13"Colorl,Composrte
• 13"Cotofll,RGB.HiRes
DVM. Color llorlllto Apple HIF
NEC. 12"Green. Model JB1 20 1M
12"Color,Composile,JC1215M
1?'Color. RGB, IBMModelJC 1203
•PRINCETON.RGBHiRes.HX-12
QUADR AM, Quadchrome 1?'RGBCo1or
Ouadrscreenir, 9 68x512
SANYO, 12"Green, ModelDMBI 12CX
ZENITH, irGreen.ModetZVM123 NEW!
$200
$ 210
$ 230
$ 379
S 529
S 199
S 249
$400
$ 699
S795
5 795
S1995
$ 260
S200
$ 135.
$ 149
$ 159
$289
$439
$ 175
$ 159
$ 299
$ 569
$499
$499
$1595
$ 199
$ 115
PRINTERS
AND
ACCESSORIES
Call
$ 995 $ 639
Can
$ 9
$;
S 15
$250
S 549 $448
$
$559
DOT MATRIX PRINTERS:
LIST OUR
PRICE PRICE
EPSON, MX80F/T, 80 CPS.w/Graftrax-f S 745 $485
FX80.CPS
MX100F/T.80CPS,w/Grattrax +
FX100.CPS
A ppte 1 1 Graphics Dump Prog? am
lEADINGEDGE.GorillaBaflana
OKIDATA.82A,80COI„ 120cps, Para.
83A. 132 co!., 120 cos, Para
92,160CPS.60Col.,Para.
93.160CPS,136Col.,Para.;
23S0P.Pacemark.350ops,Para. $2695 $2095
24l0P.PacemarK3S0cps.Para $2995 $2350
ORANGE MICRO Grappler , for Apple $165 $119
PRACTICAL, KortuflerbvUie64K.Para $349 $259
Mort»jfferlrrtJre64K Serial $349 S 259
•STARMICRO..Gemmi10"X,l20cps,2.3K $ 499 $ T
GeftJnjl5"X,120cps,2.3K Call
IBM-PCIoEpsonwSlarMctwirnsCable S 60
Applel/FandCableforEpsonorGemini S 95
LETTER QUALITY- DAISY WHEEL PRINTERS:
JUKi.eiOQ.nMS.BOCol.Parafel S 700 $ 539
SILVER REED, EXP550P,18cps,3 pitch $895 $615
EXP550S.18cps,3pitch S 995 $ 650
TractorFeedforEXP550 $ 160 $ 125
•TTX,13cps,Para.&Ser,Pin&Fnction $649 $499
SUPPLIES: Tractor Feed Paper. Ribbons, Daisy Wheels.
OORl/f IQ 6M «9 52095 $1695
V*\^*r%VV10 11 Meg S2750 $2295
Drives Without Inlerfaces 20 Meg 53750 $3095
IBM-PC Interface Manual. S W & Cable Kil S 300 $ 239
IBM-PCOmniTransporterPackof4 $1895 $1495
Apple Interface, Manual. S W & Cable Kit S 300 $ 239
Other Interfaces. Omnt-Net. Constellation. Mirror. CALL
$1249 $969
Call
S 35
$ 59
• MEANS A BEST BUY
AD #986
r^nnrniikm iiirnmi ATinu a mnTrouo. A " Mall: P.O.Box 23068, Portland, OR 97223, Include telephone number.
UHUthlNU IIMrUhMAI IUIM ANU I thMo.Alliiemsustjallyin stock. CashiersChecks.MweyOrders, Fortune lOOOChecksaodGovemmenlChecks.weimmedtalely honor. Personalorolher
Company Checks allow 20 day s to clear. No. CO.D. Prices reflect a 3% cash discounl so ADD 3% lo above Prices lor VI SA or MC. For U.S. Mainland, add 3% lor shipping, insurance and handling (SI&H) by UPS wilh $5
minimum for SI&H. UPS ground is standard so add 3% more lor UPS Blue with $1 minimum for S l&H. Add 12% total for SI&H lor US Postal APO or FPOwith S 1 5 minimum for SI&H. For Hawaii, Alaska and Canada, UPS
is insome areas only, all others are Postal socall, wnte. or specify Postal. Foreign orders except Canada for S.I&H add i8%or S25 minimumlor SI&H except for monitors add30%or $50 minimum for SI&H. Prices subject
lo change and typo errors, so call lo verify. All goods are new, include warranty and are guaranleed lo work. Due to our low prices, ALL SALES ARE FINAL. Call before returning goods lor repair or replacement. Orders
received wtth insullicient S.I&H charges will be refunded. ORDER DESK HOURS 6 A M. lo 6 P.M. PST, Monday through Friday and 10 to 4 Saturday. 6 AM. here is 9 AM in New York.
OURRErERENCES'We have been in computers and electronics since 1958. a computerdealer since 1978 and incompulermail ordersince 1980. Banks: 1st Interstate Bank,(503) 643-4678. We belong to
the Chamber of Commerce (503) 644-0123. Better Business Bureau and Direct Marketing Association, or call Dunn and Bradslreel if you are a subscriber. Fastrak" and Generik'" are Irademarksol ComX Corpoialion.
WordStar. MailMerge. Slarlndex, InfoStar, are trademarks of MicroPro.
CASH & CARRY OUTLETS:
Over-the-counter sales only. Open Monday through Saturday
10:00 until 5:00.
PORTLAND, OREGON, 11507-D S.W. Pacrftc Hwy, Terrace
Shopping Center. Tigard. On 99W between 217 and 1-5. Call
245-1020.
SEATTLE, WASH., 3540 128th Ave. SE. Beltevue, WA 98006.
Tele : 641-4736, in Loehmann s Plaza near Factor ia Square, SE
of Hwy. 405 & 90 and al SE 38th & Richards.
Circle 73 for IBM Peripherals. Circle 74 for Apple. Circle 75 for all others.
LOW PRICES TO PROFESSIONALS WHO KNOW WHA T THEY WANT AND KNOW HOW TO USE IT!
THE IBM-PC SUPPLY CENTER
IBM is a trademark o/IBM Corporation.
256K
IBM-PC
System Includes
Two 320K Disk Drives by CDC
90DayWarrantyByUs
Call For Details And
Configurations
LIST OUR
PRICE PRICE
MEMORY CHIP KITS ESX.
motherboard. 100% tested. With 90 day warranty.
• 64KKit.200NS.9chips.4164
16KKrt.200NS.9chips.4116
(lorPC-lmotnetoard)
AMDEK
4-IN-1 MullipleBoard, Color
Graphics.Mono,128K
ComboPlus,64KS/P/C
ComboPlus,256K,S/P/C
MegaPlusll. 64K.2-S/P/C
MegaPlusll.256K.2-S/PyC
256KMegaPlusll Expander
SixPakPlus.64K.SrPC
SixPakPlus. 256K, S/P/C
SixPakPlus, 384K, S'P/C
l/OPIusll,2SRCG
PCnef .LANKil
S 150 $ 45
S 599 $ 519
$ 395 $ 279
S 695 $ 475
S 495 S 345
S 795 S 495
S395 S295
S 395 $ 295
S 695 $ 495
S 895 $ 595
S 315 S 195
$1490 $1290
Supervision, monochrome board S 850
Z/Plus 64, fast Z80B.64K para port $ 875
$ 680
$ 695
CCS
t PomY 256K RAM Card wttl Faslrak "
^ ^ RAM disk emulator and
spooter software. S 695 $ 256
CURTIS. PC Pedestal'" forDisplay S 80
3to 9 fool keyboard cable s 50
Vertical CPU "System Stand'' S 25
Monochrome Ext. Cable Pair S 40
HERCULES. Monochrome Board 5 499
Key TrOniC, KB5150, Sid keytoard S 269
hnPllPI KoalaPad'"
I lUaid Programmer's Guide S 15
MAYNARD.(XSc
$ 65
$ 35
$ 19
$ 30
$ 150 $ 109
S 12
S 79
Call
Modulestorabovecard
SandSlar.noRAMcard S 199 $ 169
SandStar,256KCard S 499 $ 395
MrUfiWT RAMCard256K
MIOKW^-PTI S yslemCard256K
SystemCard64K
Mouse
MOUSESYSTEMS, PCMousew software
ODPUin PCnel'", LOCAL AREA NET S1490
UnV/nlU, Moncchrcme Graphics Card
PLANTRONICS
ColorPlus , 1 6 colorbrd.w/ParaPort
OJLIADRAM
*■ Quadlink, Apple II Emulator
Quadboard, no RAM, expandable lo256K
Quadboard 64K. expandab!eto256K
*■ Quadboard256K,6 function
Quadboard ll.noRAM, expand to256K
Quadboard II.64K. expandablelo256K
Quadboard II, 256K, 6 function
Quad 512 + ,64Kplusserialpon
Quad 512 + , 256K plus serial port
Quad 5 1 2 + , 5 1 2Kplusserial port
Quadcolorl, board, 16 colors
Quadcolor II, board, use with Quadcolor I
Quadchrome, 12" RGB Monitor
Quadscreen, 17", 968 x 5 1 2 Monitor
Microfazer.w/Copy, P/P.8K, #MP8w/P.S.
Microtazer, wCopy, P P, 64K, #MP64w PS.
Microfazer,wCopv.PP.128K,
#MP128wPS.
Microfazer, Snap-ori. 8K. P. P,
Epson. #ME8,w/P.S.
Microfazer. Snap-on. 64K.P/P,
Epson, #ME64,w/P.S.
All Microfazers are expandable, (w/copy to 512K) (Snap-onto 64K)
Tormar 1stMATE,64K
ICV.II1C1I 1st MATE, 256K
GraphtcsMaster
TGPRODUCTS.joysix*
WICO, IBM-PC Mouse
-v _jr *L,
L6T OUR
% XHIP & MEMORY \J|>
PRICE PRICE
VA SPECIAL J£^
S 550 $ 385
$ 395 S 275
\A j^fxl/^^
S 625 $ 435
\ jA /%L v
S 195 S 145
S 295 S 195
S1490 51190
S 499 $ 379
Aa^^vN? 1 |=:^S
S 475 S 379
JV_ r \ (5*"*^3
S 680 $ 465
^JImsi
m
S 295 S 215
S 395 $ 279
^®f I
a
S 595 $ 395
1
Call Call
S 395 $ 279
S 595 $ 395
S 325 S 265
, r"-JSj55?^
$ 550 S 420
S 895 $ 625
$ 295 $ 225
«P f w $40 Ten or more.
S 275 S 209
64K CHIP KIT
S 795 $ 499
9 Each 4164,200 ns. MEMORY EXPANSION.
S1995 $1595
S 189 $ 129
90Day Warranty byus.
S 319 S 219
$£00 S239Twoormore.
S 465 $ 295
256K RAM BOARD
S 179 S 145
Fully Compatible. 2 Year Limited Warranty byComX.
With Fastrak RAM Disk Emulator and Spooler Software.
S 319 S 235
Works on DOS 1.1 or 2.0.
Snap-otilo 64K)
$ 389 $ 295
$ 589 $ 439
• Means a BEST buy.
Call
S 65 $ 49
AD #986
S 100 $ 61
IBM-PC UKlVEw ACCESSORY
S
SOFTWARE for the IBM-PC or XT
O^^^^v
BUSINESS
BUSINESS
UTILITY & SYSTEM
LIST
OUR
LIST OUR
LIST
OUR
!i^Hi
ASHTON-TATE
PRICE
PRICE
PRICE PRICE
PRICE
PRICE
• dBase II. requires PC-DOS&128K
S 700
5 385
MONOGRAM, Dollars* Sense S 165 $ 110
DIGITAL RESEARCH
dBase II User sGuide
S 30
S 20
NORTH AMERICAN BUS, The Answer $ 250 $ 169
ConcurrentCPM-86"
S 350
S 225
Everyman's DB Primer(Book)
S 15
$ 12
•OSBORNE/COMX. (Book & Business,
CBASIC86'
S 200
$ 135
f
UV\v«^%^554J™
vS!KiSSsM
The Financial Planner
S700
$ 395
Statistics & Math Programs on DS/DD Disks)
CPM-86"
S 60
$ 40
\^\\JS&**SHB
Friday
S 295
$ 199
Some Common Basic Prog. (70 each) $100 $ 69
Pascal MT-(CPM-86)
$ 400
S 169
\\ vi yS^^^f^^
APPLIED SOFT. TECH.. Versaform
S389
S 265
Practical Basic Programs (40 each) $ 100 $ 69
Pascal MT- (MSDOS)
S 600
S 399
\J\J8
s&sa
• CONTINENTAL.i-lome Accountant *
S 150
$ 89
PBL CORPORATION, Personal Investor 5 145 $ 94
PL 1 (MSDOS)
S 750
S 499
\ \ \^ (
FCM (Filing. Cataloging. Mailing)
S 125
$ 89
PEACHTREE,PeachPak3(GL,AR&AP) 5 595 $ 239
Access Manager (MSDQS)
S400
$ 179
1 i -affilgip*
PropertyManagemenl
S 495
S 329
Peach Text 5000 s 395 $ 239
Display Manager (MSDQS)
S 500
$ 339
Hi*^ r L><*^s .Hi
DATAMOST, Wrile-On (Word Processor)
S 130
$ 89
PEARLSOFT, Personal Peai1(0BMS&MIS) $ 295 S 195
Speed Prog. Pkg.(CPM-86)
S 200
S 135
<§§^
DOW JONES, Market Analyzer
S 350
$279
• PERFECT, PerfectWriler"* $ 389 $ 149
CISCQBOL-86
S 850
S 525
Market Manager
S300
S 239
Per1ectSpeHer w orPerfedCalc".each S 295 $ 99
DR LQGO-86
S 150
S 90
:> ^^^"^
Market Microscope
S 700
$ 525
Writer + Speller. 2 Pak S 695 $ 199
CBASIC Compiler (86 or MSDQS, each)
S 600
S 365
CONTRpLW^
EAGLE SOFTWARE, Money Decisions
•X.CIIJCTCIM M/n.tnr MOA
S 150
$ 129
S 199
S 55
Perfect Filer" S 595 $ 199
SOFTWARE ARTS.TK! Solver $299 $219
SOFTWAREPUBUSHING.PFSFite S 140 $ 94
HAYES. SmancomlHDataComm )
MICROCOM. Microtermmal (Data Comm
MICROSTUF, Crosstalk XVI {Hayes& IBM)
S 119
S 100
S 89
S 65
$ 129
DATA OR land
an
* tlNb I tIN, Wmier NtW: o ouu
Memory Trainer NEW! S 80
S 195
320K/360KDSDD DISK DRIVES
Speller NEW! S 150
Mailer NEW! S 80
$ 95
$ 55
PFS:Repor1 S 125 $84
PFS:Write NEW! S 140 $ 95
MICROSOFT muMalhmuStmp
Business BASIC Compiler
S 300
S 600
S 225
$ 450
With Detailed Installation Instructions
Letter Scenes NEW
S 300
$ 195
PFS:Graph NEW! 5 140 $ 95
PascalCompiler
S 350
S 255
60 Day Warranty by Factory Authorized Dislnbutor
FOX & GELLER, Quickcode (MSDOS)
S 295
$ 179
SORCIM.SuperCalcll $ 295 $ 195
C Compiler
S 350
$ 225
Same as now COOQ
installed by IBM. $££3 S239
dGraph (MSDOS)
S 295
$ 179
SuperWriler S 295 $ 199
BASIC Compiler
S 395
S 285
■or One
dUtilforlBMPCDOS
S 99
S 59
SSI/SATELLITE, WordPerfect $ 495 $ 375
FortranCompiler
S 350
$ 255
HAYDEN. IBM Pie Writer
S200
S 135
PersonaiWofdPerfect $ 195 $ 149
COBOL Compiler
S 750
S 559
Pie: Speller
S 100
S 69
STC/SOFTEC.TheCreator $ 300 $ 195
BASIC Interpreter
S 350
$ 255
HOWARDSOFT, ReatEslate Analyzer li
S250
$ 169
STONEWARE, D.B.Masler(a DBMS) $ 596 $ 396
NORTON, Norton Utilities. 14 programs
S 80
S 65
$199
HALF HEIGHT
INFOR, UNLIMITED, Easy Writer II (WP)
EasySpeller II
EasyFiler(aDBMS)
S 350
S 225
S 400
$259
S 149
S 299
SYNAPSE. File Manager $100 $ 67
SYNERGISTIC. Data Reporter $250 $169
HOME & EDUCATIONAL
T/MAKER.T/Makerlll $ 275 $ 169
Inventory Control
S 595
S395
VIStCORP,VisiCalC256KorVtsidex,each $ 250 $ 179
EPYX, Auto. Si m.. Templeof Apshai
S 40
$ 29
LIST
OUR
• INSOFT, DalaOesign (easy touseDBMS)
S 225
$ 169
VisiRleorVisiSchedule 5 300 $ 219
QilBarons
S 100
S 75
PRICE
PRICE
Data Base Made Easy (Book)
S 17
$ 12
DesktopPlanl S 300 $ 219
• ARMONK, Executive Suite
S 40
$ 27
LIFETREE.Volkswriler
S 285
5 195
VisWordwilhVisiSpell(128K) $ 375 $ 269
BLUECHIP.MillionaireorTycoon.each
S 60
$ 39
MAYNARD
• LOTUS. 1-2-3
MICROCRAFT, Verdict or Billkeeper.each
S495
S 995
$ 329
$ 469
BPI SYSTEMS, PersonalAccountmg
• BRODERBUND. Apple PanicfCo'or)
S 195
S 30
S 139
S 19
Floppy DriveConlrotBrd.forupto4 drives S 195
same win Paraltel Port S 275
DA MA 2.5 Megs'Drwe System (Jan) S1550
nM IMM, 25 M egHard Disk System
5 165
S 205
$1195
MICRO LAB. Miner2049
MICROPRO.WordStar*
Mail Merge"
SpellStar"
S 40
S495
S 250
S250
S 29
S 239
S 129
$ 129
COMPREHENSIVE PC Tutor (DOS 1.1)
CONTINENTAL. Home Accountant -
DATAMOST, PigPenor Space Slrike.ea
DAVIDSON TheSpeedReaderll
S 60
$ 40
UTILITY & SYSTEM
S 150
S 30
S 75
S 89
S 22
S 49
Call
• WordStar Professional, 4 Pak
S895
$429
1983 CL SOFTWARE AWARD:
INFOCOM, Deadline
S 50
S 33
QUADISK,6Meg, Removable $2295
$1795
Starlndex '
InfoStar""
S 195
S 495
$ 109
S 259
Copy II PC by Cenlral Point Sollware is still Ihe best s ftware
buy of 1983 and 1984. It will copy more copy protected software
ZorklorZorkllorZorklll.ea. S 40
• INSOFT, WordTriixorQuolrix. each NEW! S 35
$ 27
S 29
CALLON 6Meg,Fixed $1995
$1595
ReportStar '".
S350
5 199
and faster than any other backup system. Unlike other copiers
MICRO LAB. Miner 2049
S 40
S 29
AVAILABILITY 12 Meg, Fixed $2250
$1750
Datalndex"
S 295
$ 195
it makes an exact duplicate of your original and it does 100%
MICROSOFT, FlighlSimulator
S 50
S 33
20Meg, Fixed $2650
$2050
SlarBursf
S 195
S 115
venlicalionof copy. Documentationis excellent"
MONOGRAM. Dollars* Sense
S 165
$ 110
27 Meg, Fixed $2895
$2295
• MICROSOFT, Molfjplan
S275
$ 175
PBICORP. . Personal Investor
S 145
$ 99
72Meg, Fixed 56500
$4950
Word
S 375
$ 275
•CENTRAL POINT, Copy IIPC. Backup S 40 $ 35
•COMX, Fastrak *. RAWDisk emulator and printer
SPINNAKER. SnooperTroops(1or2|
S 45
S 35
VISTA, IBM-PC XT6MB Backup
WordwifhMouse
S475
$339
StoryMachtneorFace Maker S 35
S 24
Financial Statement
S 100
$ 69
spooler program. Works on any PC DOS version or RAM
STRATEGIC, the Warp Factor
S 40
S 30
forHardDisk,V1200 $1549
$1049
Budget
S 150
$ 109
Card.MenuDnven. NEW 1 S 100 S 59
SUBLOGIC. Might Mission Pinball
S 40
$ 27
THE WORLD'S LARGEST COMPUTER MAIL ORDER FIRM
CONROY-LA POINTE
TM
SHOWROOMS AT: PORTLAND, OR. or
SEATTLE, WA. BOTH OPEN M-SAT 10-5
ALL MAIL: P.O. BOX 23068, Portland, Or. 97223
Formerly
Computer Exchange
orderdesk TOLL FREE
(800)547-1289
Order Desk Hours: 6AM to 6PM PST
Oregon TOLL FREE
[8001451-5151
Portland: 245-6200
Hot Line For Information
On Your Order
[503)245-1030
NEW! NATIONWIDE LEASINl
■W! NATIONWIDE LEj
Q U QT- NEUADA ( 800 > 845-5555%
■LJ ^^^ III CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS: NOW YOU CAN CALL US ON INTERSTATE TOLL-FREE LINE
PC-COMPATIBILITY FOR YOUR...
KAYPRO. OSBORNE, XEROX, ZORBA
8088 Co-Processor board installs in a lew minutes. MS-DOS & CP/M-86
incl.. reads/writes PC diskettes. RAM doubles as RAM DISC.
1Z8K Board LIST S749 . . ONLY $495
Z56K Board LIST $999 . . ONLY $695
PC-COMPATIBLE BOARDS
PASOCOM 64K. 1S+1 P. Clock ONLY $279
AST Mega-Plus w/RAM Superdrive $ CALL
AST PC-NET S CALL
SPECIAL BUY:
BMC 80/20 by
Okidata
This hottest-selling computer
in Japan can now be yours
at an unbelievably low price!!!
Computer with built-in
address graphics,
(incl. CP/M, BASIC
MailMerge. CalcStar)
Monochrome
LIST $1995
TERMINALS
Hazeltine ESPRIT II . . $539
Hazeltine ESPRIT III ..$619
QUME QVT-108 ..... $729
WYSE100 ....... SCALL
WYSE 50 $ CALL
MONITORS
Dynax12" Amber $135
Taxan RGB-1 $315
Taxan RGB-Ill hi-res. . . $514
Zenith RGB hi-res $524
Princeton PGS hi-res. . . $495
NEC 1203 RGB $610
FLOPPY DISKETTES
First quality, individual envelopes, original factory boxes of 10,
5 1 A diskettes have reinforced hubs. LIFETIME WARRANTY!
DISKETTE TYPE
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Speech Recognition: An Idea
Whose Time Is Coming
Some theoretical and practical aspects of this emerging technology
Someday machines that recognize
speech will be commonplace. People
will talk to computers, typewriters,
toys, TV sets, household appliances,
automobile controls, door locks, and
wristwatches. Each of these speech-
recognition applications is currently
being explored; some early forms are
already on the market, while other
forms are proving to be beyond our
current capabilities. In this article, I'll
examine some of the theory and mar-
ket prospects for this exciting and
elusive technology.
Having our lives filled with ma-
chines that obey verbal commands
can transform our views of machines.
Mechanical devices can take on a
subtle lifelike quality when given the
ability to respond to speech. This
lifelike quality is further amplified
when coupled with the machine in-
telligence that emanates from per-
sonal computers, arcade games,
robotics, and household automation
systems. We continue to be fascinated
by the evolution of such intelligent
products, and we probably could not
reverse this trend, even as visionaries
warn that we'll lose our freedom to
new mechanical life forms.
Automatic speech recognition is
generally considered to be the most
difficult and complex problem in the
by George M. White
field of voice processing. Voice syn-
thesis, compression, analysis, en-
cryption, and transmission are all
more narrowly defined, and all con-
tribute to the solution of the speech-
recognition problem. Some of the
world's largest companies (AT&T,
IBM, Exxon), the U.S. Department of
Defense, and several universities
have been developing speech-recog-
nition technology for years without
the hoped-for degree of success. But
despite difficulties, steady progress is
being made.
In the past 10 years, at least a dozen
start-up companies have been
founded explicitly to develop and
market speech-recognition products.
Although several have gone out of
business, about a dozen companies
plan to be in the market with new
products in 1984.
Philosophical Issues
The specter of Big Brother may not
be of concern in Western society to-
day, but the evolution of distributed
intelligence among machines with
speech-recognition capability certain-
ly provides the technical base for
monitoring our activities. In fact, the
U.S. National Security Agency has
developed what may be the world's
most advanced speech-recognition
algorithms. This system spots key-
words in intercepted verbal transmis-
sions from "unfriendly" nations.
Currently, it is not likely that such
techniques would be used for
domestic surveillance. But speech
technologists as well as the public
must be aware of the potential loss of
privacy.
Speech recognition is not a typical
engineering problem. It is a scientific
Gordian knot. It draws on LSI (large-
scale integration) and VLSI (very
large-scale integration) chip design,
signal processing, acoustic-
phonetics, natural-language theory,
linguistics, mathematics of stochastic
(probability) processes, and com-
puter science techniques. Because of
its multidisciplinary nature and be-
cause many competent minds have
pondered the problem for years, we
should not expect a breakthrough in
speech-recognition capability. Pro-
gress will be made, but it will be
evolutionary, not revolutionary.
Naive enthusiasm from novices in
the field sometimes leads to pro-
clamations that dramatic progress is
imminent. Such views fail to consider
the interdependence of disciplines re-
quired to produce a commercially
viable product.
Nearly 15 years ago, a number of
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 213
companies and engineering organi-
zations predicted near-term success
in speech recognition. This prompted
a prominent scientific leader, John
Pierce, to say that automatic speech
recognition was the domain of "un-
trustworthy engineers" (see reference
8) and that we would not have
speech recognition until we had true
artificial intelligence (AI).
Pierce based his critique on the
observation that normal speech con-
tains many words that are acoustical-
ly ambiguous, and it is only through
contextual information and knowl-
edge of linguistic constraints that we
are able to remove the ambiguity.
Because only humans have demon-
strated sufficient understanding of
the language constructs of spoken
sentences to use them in a way that
is unambiguous, Pierce's conclusion
that fluent speech recognition re-
quires human-like intelligence is
understandable.
Today we do have elemental
speech-recognition systems that
recognize short utterances. However,
this does not nullify Pierce's argu-
ment; it is a matter of the type of
speech to be recognized. When
fluent conversational speech is in-
volved, a "model of the domain of
discourse" must be employed, and
the recognition process is called
"understanding." This is, by defini-
tion, in the domain of AI. Recogni-
tion of short utterances using only
template pattern-matching tech-
niques is, in current vernacular, "pat-
tern recognition," not "understand-
ing.
In a broader sense, even the sim-
plest forms of speech recognition are
a part of AI, and AI is spread out in
the technologies that make up
modern society. The maturation of
speech recognition and AI has not
been by intellectual tour de force but
by a broad-based industrial/technical
evolution. Key events in this evolu-
tion include the appearance of the
mass market for home computers,
VLSI, mass-production techniques,
and, perhaps, even Pac-Man. Al-
though these are not usually thought
of in the same context as machine in-
telligence and speech recognition,
they play a significant role in the
development of such capabilities, and
they cannot be ignored by forecasters
and planners who hope to tell us
what products will materialize in the
next few years.
Success is slowly materializing. To-
day we have adequate machine intel-
ligence to achieve elemental auto-
matic speech recognition (ASR), but
we are a long way from conversa-
tional speech understanding.
Definition of Terms
Automatic speech recognition
means different things in different
contexts. Speech-recognition prod-
ucts have been on the market for
nearly 15 years for isolated ut-
terances. "Isolated utterances" refers
to words or short phrases spoken
with pauses between them. "Con-
tinuous speech" refers to normal
speech without pauses between in-
Automatic speech
recognition is the most
difficult step in the
voice-processing field.
dividual words. ASR systems differ
vastly in technical content, depend-
ing on the type of speech input
expected.
For isolated-utterance input, a vari-
ety of signal-processing algorithms
and classification schemes have been
applied with success. In general, the
more care and control exercised on
speech input, the greater the number
of algorithms that work, because
there is greater redundancy in the
acoustic input. To reduce costs, some
speech-recognition device manufac-
turers specify that speech input is ex-
pected to be carefully enunciated,
isolated utterances, in a noise-free en-
vironment, from a limited vocabu-
lary, and from a "known" talker. A
known talker is one whose voice
characteristics have been previously
analyzed and recorded. Of the many
techniques employed, few have
achieved a useful trade-off in cost
versus resilience to imperfect speech
input.
The technology required for trans-
cription of general conversational
speech far exceeds our current capa-
bilities. Cost-effective, voice-con-
trolled typewriters that accept normal
speech will almost certainly not be on
the market this decade.
The striking difference in technical
content in speech-recognition sys-
tems has to do with contextual pro-
perties of speech that at first seem
paradoxical. For example, typically 20
to 30 percent of the words from tape-
recorded conversations cannot be
understood when the words are
played back individually in random
order even though every word was
perfectly understood in the original
conversation (see reference 9). Thus,
a word pronounced in conversation
does not really carry the information
we normally think it does. The infor-
mation is spread out over several
words rather than being encoded in
individual phonemes (a member of
the set of smallest units of speech),
syllables, or words. The critical infor-
mation needed to interpret a spoken
word is not found in the word itself
perhaps 30 percent of the time.
The information required to recog-
nize a word in the context of normal
speech floats on the "ether" of an en-
tire phrase or sentence. Until we have
intelligent machines that successfully
extract semantic, syntactic, prosodic
(stress), and perhaps pragmatic infor-
mation from acoustic waveforms, we
will not have conversational speech
recognition by machines. It is safe to
assume that this will not occur for
several more decades. But there are
other forms of speech that are easier
for machines to recognize.
Carefully pronounced isolated-
word utterances contain all the infor-
mation needed for a machine to cor-
rectly recognize them without resort-
ing to AI techniques. The technical
barriers are more computational than
theoretical, and, in fact, the more
carefully pronounced the word, the
less the computational power re-
quired. For a careful, cooperative
talker in a low-noise environment,
the computational power of the
microprocessors in many personal
computers is sufficient. But more
computational power is required for
multiple talkers, telephone input,
larger vocabularies, word spotting, or
214 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
connected speech recognition.
For example, speaker-independent
recognition over telephone lines is
difficult because telephones distort
speech spectra in a variety of ways.
The voices of unknown talkers will
probably have a variety of different
spectral shapes for the same speech
sound. Techniques for solving these
technical problems are known, but
they are expensive: Verbex, a sub-
sidiary of Exxon, has offered com-
mercial equipment containing spe-
cial-purpose, high-speed computers
that sell for more than $65,000 to
recognize digits and a few command
words over dial-up telephones for ar-
bitrary talkers.
The Cost Barrier
Widespread use of Verbex-type
speech-recognition systems awaits
dramatic cost reductions. In fact, the
single greatest problem facing the en-
tire field is the high cost of robust
recognition capability.
Significant cost reductions can be
achieved in at least four ways:
through large-volume manufacturing
(economies of scale), faster com-
puters, advances in LSI and custom
LSI, and algorithm enhancements.
Activities of many leading firms can
be characterized by their relative em-
phasis on these approaches. These
firms will be covered in more detail
later.
Only low-cost systems can current-
ly reap the benefits of large-volume
manufacturing; they can exploit the
installed base of telephones, personal
computers, and toys. Milton Bradley
has pioneered a computer peripheral
compatible with the TI-99/4A home
computer that allows you to play
games using oral commands. Inter-
state Electronics has developed a
single-chip recognizer that could
become widely used in a mass-
produced vechicle, e.g., a toy. Verbex
has developed a bit-slice machine ar-
chitecture to carry out signal process-
ing and pattern matching in its
speech systems. Nippon Electric, In-
terstate Electronics, Threshold Tech-
nology, and Votan have developed
special LSI chips for speech recogni-
tion. Several others, including Intel,
Harris, American Micro Systems,
and General Instruments, have
developed general voice-processing
chips. Every firm in ASR has em-
phasis on algorithms, but Dragon
Systems of West Newton, Massachu-
setts, stands out for extraordinary
achievement and focus on algo-
rithms.
Algorithms Cut Costs
Algorithm improvements aimed
specifically at cost reduction typical-
ly involve search strategies to reduce
the number of paths that must be
searched in decision networks. This
results in an apparent increase in the
execution speed of the computer.
Execution-speed enhancements may
be obtained not only by efficient
search strategies but also by "precom-
puting" relationship networks that
might otherwise require random, or
"exhaustive," search techniques.
Dragon Systems has made pro-
gress in reducing computation
through algorithm improvements.
Dragon's speech-recognition system
executes on an Apple computer and
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January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 215
achieves recognition accuracies com-
parable to those executing- on $15,000
machines, without Dragon algo-
rithms. The Dragon system basically
consists of an 8-bit A/D (analog-to-
digital) converter board and software.
How Speech Recognizers Work
Automatic speech recognizers are
composed of sound analyzers fol-
lowed by word classifiers. Sound
analyzers may be nothing more than
microphones followed by A/D con-
verters (as in the Dragon system).
More likely, the sound analyzer also
performs bandpass filtering before
A/D conversion. Most successful
recognizers use bandpass filtering as
the first step in analyzing an ut-
terance. The most elementary and
widely used approach to utterance
classification is to form a two-dimen-
sional matrix of the utterance with
time along one axis and frequency
energy content along the other.
Reference matrices, which are gen-
erated for each word during talker
training, are compared to the matrix
of unknown utterances. The com-
parison is typically achieved by com-
puting the distance (e.g., the sum of
the square of the differences) be-
tween corresponding matrix ele-
ments in reference and unknown
matrices for all elements in the
matrices.
Dynamic Programming
There is an alternative to the
matrix-comparison technique of
classifying utterances known as
"dynamic programming." Dynamic
programming has been known to be
superior for about 10 years. But con-
sumer-oriented commercial systems
avoid dynamic programming partial-
ly because of the large associated
computational requirements and par-
tially from lack of understanding of
the algorithm.
Dynamic programming offers not
only superior isolated-utterance
recognition, but it also opens up the
possibility of continuous-speech
recognition. It has been more suc-
cessful in continuous-speech recogni-
tion than any other algorithm, and
it is used in the world's only com-
mercial continuous-speech recogni-
216 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
tion systems.
The dynamic programming pro-
cess computes many more combina-
tions of time alignments between ref-
erence and unknown utterances than
the static-matrix match just men-
tioned. In fact, its straightforward ap-
plication increases the computation
burden by a factor of 100. However,
efficient search-path pruning algo-
rithms can potentially (on the aver-
age) reduce the computational bur-
den to the level required for matrix
comparison. Recent cost reductions
in commercial continuous-speech
systems have cut costs by factors of
two to five, and these cost savings are
due directly to improved search
strategies for dynamic programming.
One of the first steps in classifying
an utterance is to convert it to a string
of "phone units" (elementary sound
units). This can be achieved by sam-
pling the speech at a constant rate,
e.g., 100 times a second. Alternative-
ly, the speech is segmented into
syllable-sized units by monitoring
changes in energy or spectral con-
tent.
The problem with these ap-
proaches is that the number of time
intervals or number of syllable seg-
ments usually varies from utterance
to utterance. Talkers do not reliably
reproduce segment durations or pro-
nounce all the syllables in words.
(Even if words were pronounced
reliably, speech systems could not
reliably segment the speech without
simultaneously classifying the seg-
ment.) Therefore, the problem of
variability in number of segments is
inherent, and any successful classi-
fication scheme must deal with this
variability. Dynamic programming
provides an approach to handling
this variability.
For example, suppose that the ut-
terance "six" is segmented by a
scheme that produces six segments:
"ssiixs." Furthermore, suppose the
correct reference template is "ssixxss ."
Dynamic programming determines
how to "time-align" the segments of
reference and the unknown utter-
ances.
The first step is to measure the
speech sound similarity between all
segments in the unknown and all
: ,\M^
JSSSi
Flip the pages. You see PC modem cards with
fewer features advertised for as much as
$599. Up until now that's how much it costto
make a modem capable of transmitting at 120
characters per second (1 200 baud). It doesn't
take a computer to figure out the savings in
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SEE HOW THEY WORK
You can imagine how precise the components
have to be to convert tones over a phone line
into 120 characters every second. Precision
equates to cost. With the advent of the mass
market in personal computers the economies
of scale drove the costs of manufacture down,
but did not effect the precision required. The
technology used is called "analog filtering". It
is the process of sending (modulating) and
receiving (demodulating) tones with perfect
pitch. A lot of adjusting, noise suppression,
and a little magic is required. Real expensive.
Some use lots of chips and filters (known as
discrete components). The latest rage is LSI
(Large Scale Integration) technology. Which is
the same old analog stuff condensed onto
fewer chips.
ADVANTAGE #1
Digital Signal processing
A NEW IDEA
We took a different approach. Through the use
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standards and determine the correct speed
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provides outstanding performance. Best of all,
it's inexpensive and reliable.
•
1200 Baud,
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Modem for IBM PC
PC212A/1200:
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and will pause for use with Sprint or MCI. It
will work in originate or auto-answer
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controls all the functions.
ADVANTAGE #2
Optional external serial port connector
ADVANTAGE #3
Just one slot in PC or XT
AN ASYCHRONOUS
ADVANTAGE
The modem board is addressed in
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Competing brands either usea conventional
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LET'S TALK SOFTWARE
Our modem is 100% compatible with the
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You can program up to forty keys to have
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automatically retransmits the data.
WHY BUY FROM US
Because besides having the best product
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Circle 221 on inquiry card.
REFERENCE
(TEMPLATE )
Q(i, j)
1
1
5
5
6
1
1
5
5
6
4
5
4
4
4
5
6
1
5
5
5
6
1
5
5
1
1
5
6
4
1
1
1
5
6
4
1
UNKNOWN
12 3 4 5
Figure 1: A speech-sound similarity matrix,
QH,j), containing scores for comparing sounds
in reference and unknown utterances.
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
s
s
X
X
i
s
s
17
16
20
20
15
3
16
16
15
15
9
^
REFERENCE
15
16
10
10
3^
7
(TEMPLATE)
11
12
6
6
<*
7
S(i. j)
7
8
A'
-V
8
13
2-
7 2f
7
13
17
17
U
-2
7
13
17
18
s
1
s
I
2
JNKr
3
i
JOW
4
X
Nl
5
s
6
Figure 2: A dynamic programming matrix,
S(i,j), containing the accumulated scows begin-
ning at S(l,l) and ending at Sd,j). The lines con-
necting matrix entries show the optimal path
linking segments in unknown and reference.
UNKNOWN s s i i x s
IXI i/ /I i\
REFERENCE s s i x x s s
Figure 3: The time alignment of unknown and
reference utterances.
segments in the reference utterance.
The results are entered into a speech-
sound similarity matrix shown in
figure 1.
The problem can now be restated
as follows: what is the path from the
lower left-hand corner to the upper
right-hand corner that produces the
lowest value? The allowable paths can
be constructed from horizontal, ver-
tical, or diagonal moves. The
dynamic programming solution is to
evaluate S(7,6), where
S(i,j) = Q(i / j) + MIN [S(i-l,j),
S(i,j-1), S(i-l,j-l)]
Note that to evaluate S(7,6), other
values of S must be computed first.
So we begin with S(l,l) = Q(l,l); and
then S(l,2) = Q(l,2) + S(l,l); S(l,3)
= Q(l,3) + S(l,2); etc., until the first
row of an S(i,j) matrix is computed.
Then we move to the second row,
S(2,l) = Q(2,l) + S(l,l). The pre-
vious computations were simple
because there was only one way to
move from S(l,l). But now, for the
first time, S(i,j) location can be
reached from more than one precur-
sor, namely S(2,2) can be reached
from S(l,l) or S(2,l) or S(l,2).
Therefore,
S(2,2) = Q(2,2) + MIN [S(l,l),
S(l,2), S(2,l)]
In this example, S(2,2) = 2. The com-
pleted matrix is shown in figure 2.
Note that the overall score for the
match is 3, [S(7,6) = 3]. The optimal
time alignment is shown by the lines
in figure 2. The lines are put in as a
final step, backtracking from S(7,6) to
S(l,l).
The time alignment indicated by
the lines is illustrated in figure 3.
This same approach can be used in
"word spotting/' In this application,
the beginnings and endings of words
are unknown. The matrices Q(i,j)
and S(i,j) become longer, as long as
an entire sentence. The top row of the
matrix S(i, j) is monitored for a dip in
scores. If a dip occurs, the word has
been "spotted," or identified. Note
that in figure 2 the scores along the
top row are high until the last two en-
tries [5(7,6)] are reached. If the matrix
were extended to the right (because
there were other words rather than
silence), then the scores for the top
row would become large again. Yet
the matrix would reveal that "six"
had been spotted because the scores
would have dipped briefly from an
average of approximately 18 to 3.
Dynamic programming and related
mathematical optimization tech-
niques are of exceptional significance
to automatic speech recognition.
More than any other single intellec-
tual tool, it has enabled speech
classifiers to progress beyond short
simple words to handle longer
words, phrases, and sentences.
Dynamic programming was inde-
pendently developed with minor
variations in at least three different
fields: operations research, commu-
nications theory, and in mathematics
as a first-order Markov process (see
references 2, 3, and 12). None of
these original formulations was for
speech applications.
What's Available Now?
Table 1 shows the product names
and identifies the manufacturers of
products on the market in 1983 that
are expected to be available in 1984.
Note that these products are not in-
tended for consumers but, rather, for
industrial applications. The industrial
applications are typically "hands-
busy" activities involving inspections
usually associated with quality con-
trol (for example, on an assembly line
or in a laboratory in conjunction with
entering data gathered using micro-
scopes). The variety of applications
is extraordinary, although the num-
ber of applications appears small.
Other examples include flight-train-
ing simulators for entering a limited
set of command words, baggage/
parcel sorting, voice control of
machine tooling, and home-appli-
ance control by personal computers.
They have occasionally been used for
educational applications.
Connected speech recognition is
essential for some applications such
as zip-code reading for parcel sorting
by the United States Postal Service.
Note that there are only three manu-
facturers of continuous speech sys-
tems.
It appears that the exciting new de-
velopments to watch in 1984 will
come from Nippon Electric Corpora-
tion (NEC), Dragon Systems, Voice
Control Systems, Interstate Elec-
tronics, and possibly Asulab. NEC is
exciting for two reasons: first, the
company has an extraordinarily good
continuous-speech recognition sys-
tem for vocabularies of up to 120
words for users who have trained the
system (around $2000); and second,
NEC's lower-performance three-chip
set will soon be available, recogniz-
ing 128 words of isolated utterances
for talkers who have trained the sys-
tem (estimated at $35 per chip set in
large quantities). This chip set, avail-
able on an OEM (original equipment
manufacturer) basis to American
manufacturers, should make speech-
recognition technology widely avail-
able for isolated utterances.
Dragon Systems has developed al-
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 219
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J415^96^10^
220 BYTE January 1984
Circle 260 on inquiry card.
Approximate
Speaker
Approximate*
Manufacturer
Product
Price
Speech Type
Independence
Vocabulary Size
Dragon
Mark II
$500
Isolated word
Yes
32-300
Scott Instruments
Shadow/VET
$1000
Isolated word
No
80
1 Interstate
VRT 300
$1100
Isolated word
No
80
< Nippon Electric Corporation (NEC)
SR 100
$2000
Continuous speech
No
120
Votan
V 5000-A
$6000
Isolated word
No
256
Interstate
VRT 101/3/11
$5000
Isolated word
No
80
NEC
DP 200
$15,000
Continuous speech
No
150
Verbex
3000
$20,000
Continuous speech
No
120
NEC
SR 1000
$60,000
(variable)
Isolated word
Yes
20
Table 1: The commercial
speech-recognition products suitable
* for industrial use. Note that continuous
speech and speaker independence correlate
with higher cost
The -prices and
vocabulary sizes of systems aw rounded to
fall into general groupings.
gorithms that it is prepared to license.
The company's work represents a
breakthrough in algorithm develop-
ment, which has major implications
for the entire field. These algorithms
could enable the world's most cost-
effective speech-recognition devices
to be developed. They have demon-
strated performance superior to sys-
tems costing over $15,000.
Voice Control Systems (VCS) has
developed a time-domain, low-cost
(requiring an 8-bit microprocessor
such as a 6502), speaker-independent
recognition scheme that it is licens-
ing for a modest fee. This system is
potentially less expensive than those
of NEC or Dragon, but its vocabulary
is limited to only 10 to 20 words at a
time. On the other hand, the speaker
independence of the VCS system
makes it much more appealing as a
consumer product, which ultimate-
ly may open possibilities for cost
reduction and development of addi-
tional applications.
Finally, Asulab, of Neuchatel,
Switzerland, is developing a wrist-
watch speech-recognition device.
This will be an extraordinary tech-
nological achievement as well as an
interesting consumer device. The sys-
tem will be speaker-dependent (that
is, it must be trained before use) and
is capable of recognizing only 15
words spoken in isolation. It will be
used to set the time, alarm, stop-
watch function, and other standard
timepiece operations.
Interstate Electronics Corporation,
the oldest and probably one of the
most successful speech-recognition
companies in the United States, has
produced a speech-recognition chip
that enables speaker-independent
isolated utterances suitable for con-
sumer products, including toys. After
an initial tooling charge, quantities of
100,000 or more cost $5.50 per chip.
This system enjoys an 85 to 90 per-
cent accuracy level and is capable of
recognizing a 16-word vocabulary.
Summary
Automatic speech recognition is an
old idea that has fascinated re-
searchers for a quarter of a century
and frustrated attempts at commer-
cialization for 15 years. During these
years, important progress has been
made in pattern matching through
dynamic programming, in cost
reduction through LSI (and VLSI)
chips, and in voice processing
through signal-processing theory and
VLSI. Commercial potential is final-
ly becoming realizable.
The concept of talking to machines
instead of keystroking input has con-
siderable appeal to the buying public.
Market forces will prevail, and, I
believe, speech-recognition products
will literally invade our lives within
a decade or two. In the near term we
will see speech-recognition periph-
erals for computers, later as con-
sumer novelties (such as voice-
controlled watch/calculators), and
eventually as telephone controller/
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January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 221
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1*11
D □ □
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Copyright, 1983 by Popultr Computing, Inc.
t tubiiditrj of CW Communicttiom, Inc
Raprintad from InfoWorld, 6/2/83
(This ad was printed on an Epson MX-80 printer. Call for an actual sample.)
Highlight: S IBM iieP/M orderncw - (213) 821-8476 - M/C Visa
fvrimi, ib> QXL&aAUml,
um<L Ike, ix^rUXur o-L
Lb qaxvtv IkaIv^.
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| phone: (213) 821-8476 |
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dialers and voice-actuated type-
writers. In the broader sense, speech
recognition is part of the general
evolution of machine intelligence. It
depends on the same fundamental
technology as AI and provides the
link that will bring us closer to our
bright new machines. ■
References
1. Baker, J. K. "Stochastic Modeling for Auto-
matic Speech Understanding." Speech
Recognition. New York: Academic Press,
1975.
2. Baum, L. E., T. Petrie, G. Soules, and N. A.
Weiss. "A Maximization Technique Occurring
in the Statistical Analysis of Probabilistic Func-
tions of a Markov Chain." Annals of Mathe-
matical Statistics 41, number 1 (1970), pages
164-171.
3. Bellman, R. E. Dynamic Programming.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press,
1975.
4. Bridle, J. S., and M. D. Brown. "An Ex-
perimental Automatic Word-Recognition Sys-
tem: Interim Report." Joint Speech Research
Unit (1974) number 1003 (unpublished).
5. Bridle, J. S., M. D. Brown, and R. M.
Chamberlain. "An Algorithm for Connected
Word Recognition." Proceedings of the IEEE
International Conference on Acoustics,
Speech and Signal Processing, May 1982.
6. Jelinek, E., L. R. Bahl, and R. L. Mercer.
"Design of a Linguistic Statistical Decoder for
the Recognition of Continuous Speech." IEEE
Transactions in Information Theory IT-21,
(1975), pages 250-256.
7. Loweree, B., and D. R. Reddy. "The Harpy
Speech Recognition System." Trends in
Speech Recognition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice-Hall, 1980.
8. Pierce, J. R. "Whither Speech Recognition?"
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America,
volume 46, (1969), pages 1049-1051.
9. Pollack, I., and J. M. Pickett. "The Intelligibility
of Excerpts from Conventional Speech."
Language and Speech, volume 6, (1963),
pages 165-171.
10. Sakoe, H., and S. Chiba. "A Dynamic-Pro-
gramming Approach to Continuous Speech
Recognition." Proceedings of IEEE Sym-
posium on Speech Recognition, April 1974,
pages 101-104.
11. Velichko, V.M., and N. G. Zagoryko. "Auto-
matic Recognition of 200 Words." International
Journal of Man-Machine Studies, (1970),
volume 2, pages 223, 235.
12. Viterbi, A. J. "Evor Bounds for Convolutional
Codes and an Asymptotically Optimum De-
coding Algorithm ." IEEE Transaction on In-
formation Theory, volume IT-13, (April 1967),
pages 260-269.
George M. White is Chief Technical Officer of Koala
Technologies Cmporatum (3100 Ibtrick Henry Dr., Santa
Clam, CA 95050) and holds a Ph.D. in chemical
physics. When he's not sitting in front of a microcom-
puter, he enjoys soccer and swimming.
222 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 327 on inquiry card.
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Using Natural-Language
Systems on Personal
Computers
Your computer may speak English in 1984
by Jane Eisenberg and Jeffrey Hill
In boardrooms, managers' offices,
secretarial pools, and hallways of cor-
porate America, the role of computer
technology is being reexamined.
With the advent of personal com-
puters, people no longer stand in awe
of the machines or accept that the
high priests of data processing must
always intercede in the everyday use
of the technology by knowledge
workers.
A common refrain in these en-
claves is, "Will computers ever under-
stand English?" Indeed, the promise
of the "computer revolution" seems
to hinge on the machine's ability to
speak the language of people, not the
reverse. In George Orwell's 1984, if
you remember, the computer-con-
trolled apparatus of Big Brother had
mastered the skill; in fact, it under-
stood everyday conversation all too
well.
The little-understood field of Arti-
ficial Intelligence (AI) may be the key
to the eventual scaling of the human-
computer communication hurdle. AI
researchers avow that natural-lan-
guage query systems are an econom-
ically approachable reality in the year
ahead.
In the following pages, we'll dis-
cuss some of the ways in which
natural-language query systems will
change the way that people and per-
sonal computers interact.
What Is a Natural-Language
System?
Imagine yourself in the middle of
trying to hang a picture. You're stand-
ing on a ladder and want your assis-
tant to hand you a hammer. But in-
stead of simply being able to ask for
the hammer, you have to stop, get off
the ladder, write a small program,
debug it, and then run it in order to
get the hammer.
Sound ridiculous? Yes, but that's
exactly what most people face when
they need to get information from
computers. To make matters worse,
most people don't know the "foreign"
language of computers.
In fact, we humans take for granted
our unique capability to communi-
cate with each other in a common
language. The languages people
speak are called natural languages. A
natural-language (NL) system is one
that allows a person to interact with
a computer by using the same lan-
guage he uses to interact with an-
other person. Such a system deals
with the richness of English as
people use it— along with all its am-
biguities—and forgives the typical
ungrammatical English that most
people use in everyday communica-
tion. The NL system must handle
commonplace events such as mis-
placed modifiers, dangling par-
ticiples, and sentence fragments.
The most obvious advantage of a
natural-language system is that
people do not have to be trained in
a programming language to use a
computer. Given the large potential
number of users of information and
the relatively small number of people
who know formal systems, this is of
key importance. There is another
often overlooked advantage— it can
be much easier to express a request
in natural language than in a formal
language. For example, figure 1
shows the same request phrased in
both natural English and in the syn-
tax of an "English-like" program com-
mand language. At a glance, it is easy
to see how much simpler the English
query is to understand, but what sur-
prises many people is the discovery
that the English query is shorter than
the corresponding formal query.
The underlying reason for this con-
ciseness is that a natural-language
system does much more than simply
understand the syntax of the lan-
guage. The system derives much of
its usefulness from its understanding
of the semantics of natural language.
The NL system maps the concepts
expressed in words onto underlying
concepts that computers can deal
226 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
(la)
(lb)
I WONDER HOW ACTUAL SALES FOR LAST MONTH
COMPARED TO THE FORECASTS FOR PEOPLE UNDER QUOTA
IN NEW ENGLAND.
EMBER CHANGE
Figure 1: A comparison of English (a) and "English-like" (b) queries.
with. In later examples, we will see
many instances in which the ability
of the system to map high-level con-
cepts gives the natural-language sys-
tem a considerable edge over any for-
mal system.
We'll look briefly at the history of
natural-language processing to see
how it developed from a research
area into a practical, mainframe data-
base query tool. Then we'll examine
how natural-language processing fits
into the personal computer environ-
ment and compare its use with other
methods of communicating with
computers.
The History of Natural-Language
Processing
Natural-language systems evolved
from research into Artificial Intelli-
gence, whose goal is to understand
human intelligence well enough to
produce machines that exhibit intelli-
gent behavior. Understanding natural
language was one of the earliest areas
of AI research, since it was clearly a
unique example of human intelli-
gence.
The first AI work on natural lan-
guage was in the area of machine
translation (MT), using (then) new
methods of syntax analysis, devel-
oped for understanding computer
languages (as in context-free gram-
mars, where language components
are defined independent of the con-
text in which they are used. These
grammars use recursive definitions,
i.e., an < unsigned integer > is de-
fined as a < digit >, or as an
< unsigned integer > followed by a
< digit > ). It was quickly apparent
that these "syntactic" based systems
were not up to the job. The anecdotal
climax of this early machine-transla-
tion effort was a system that trans-
lated the English sentence "The spirit
is willing but the flesh is weak" into
a Russian sentence whose literal
reading was "The vodka is strong but
the meat is rotten."
Since understanding natural lan-
guages depends upon better ways of
representing semantic information,
research switched from the MT effort
to "question-answering systems."
These systems use a knowledge data-
base to understand and answer ques-
tions posed in English. One of the
earliest such systems was the Base-
ball program (reference 4), which
contained a database of statistics for
one major league season. This re-
search phase culminated in the early
1970s with two prototype systems,
both based on the notion of "pro-
cedural semantics," in which the
meaning of words and concepts is
broken down into tasks and subtasks.
The Lunar system of Woods (refer-
ence 5) could respond to English
questions about the data analysis of
the Apollo XI moon-rock samples
(see figure 2). Winograd's SHRDLU
system (reference 3) interpreted
English sentences to control the
movements of a simulated one-arm
robot (see figure 3). Both of these sys-
tems contained extremely sophisti-
cated theories of language. Both sys-
tems could parse more sentences
than they could understand, but in
their limited application domains
they were quite impressive.
Clearly, more research into seman-
tic representation was required to
produce systems capable of under-
standing the range of English that
people routinely use. Most of the re-
search work in AI today is concerned
with finding better representation
schemes for knowledge. (For a more
detailed history of natural-language
processing research, see reference 2.)
However, a great deal had been
learned about the structure of natural
languages (particularly English) and
about ways for representing and ap-
plying the semantics of a limited do-
main. But was there a practical use
for such systems? Woods's work with
the Lunar system clearly suggested
database query as a promising area.
But three problems had to be solved
to make this technology commercial-
ly viable:
1. Robustness. These systems were
How many breccias contain olivine?
What are they?
Do any samples have greater than 13 per-
cent aluminum?
What are those samples?
List K/RB rations for breccias.
Figure 2: Sample questions interpreted by
Woods's Lunar system.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 227
Pick up a big red block.
OK.
Grasp the pyramid.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHICH PYRAMID YOU MEAN.
Find a block which is taller than the one you are holding and put it into the box.
BY "IT," I ASSUME YOU MEAN THE BLOCK WHICH IS TALLER THAN THE ONE I
AM HOLDING.
What does the box contain?
THE BLUE PYRAMID AND THE BLUE BLOCK.
What is the pyramid supported by?
THE BOX.
How many blocks are not in the box?
FOUR OF THEM.
Figure 3: A sample dialogue with Winograd's SHRDLU system.
very sensitive to small errors in
typing and grammar. A commer-
cial version needs to forgive minor
user mistakes.
2. Environment. The natural-language
research systems were largely writ-
ten in LISP, the common language
of the AI research community. The
"databases" used were home-brew
systems developed especially for
the natural-language system that
used them. To be commercially
viable, natural-language database
query systems would need to run
on standard commercial hardware,
in a standard language, and take
advantage of the technology devel-
oped in commercial database-man-
agement systems (DBMSs).
3. Portability. The most serious prob-
lem of the research systems was
the "customization" cost. To adapt
one of these systems to a new
database typically takes a man-
year of effort by an experienced AI
researcher.
In 1975, Artificial Intelligence Cor-
poration began work to produce a
commercially viable natural-language
database query system by concentrat-
ing on solving these problems. AICs
product, Intellect, is a robust, por-
table natural-language system that
runs on IBM mainframe computers
(see the text box on page 230 for a
description of Intellect). It interfaces
to most of the popular mainframe
DBMSs. Intellect was the first suc-
cessful commercialization of AI tech-
nology.
Use on Mainframes
The most widespread use of natu-
ral-language systems today is to pro-
vide the ability to query the contents
of a database in free-form English.
The first generation of commercial
natural-language systems required
mainframe computers with large
amounts of storage and processing
power. In addition, the development
and refinement of natural-language
parsing techniques required a sub-
stantial investment in both time and
resources, which meant a relatively
high price tag ($50,000 to $100,000),
However, most major minicomputer
vendors are pursuing the addition of
a natural-language query facility to
their product lines either through in-
ternal development efforts or via
cooperative marketing agreements
with the companies who have
already developed this technology.
Database query is a good applica-
tion for natural-language processing.
First, let's define what we mean by
the term database query. In order to
understand a query, the system must
1) identify specific items of data to
retrieve
2) identify criteria for selecting a
desired subset of all records in all
files
3) determine the analytical and dis-
play processes required to manip-
ulate the data
4) invoke the required retrieval,
analytic, and display processes in
the sequence necessary to answer
the question
The technology of natural-language
parsing currently works best when
the dialogue is limited to a small
world view. Database query is unique
among natural-language applications
in that it quite naturally fits this
constraint— the dialogue is limited to
the contents of the database.
Knowledge workers need informa-
tion. A major obstacle to the accep-
tance of end-user computing has
been the unwillingness of the non-
computerist to learn the necessary
commands to make effective use of
the computer as a resource. Studies
of user information needs spurred
development of systems whose
medium of communication is the
highest level end-user language,
natural English. Systems offering
anything less than comprehension of
native English require excessive train-
ing of end users, training that is
wasted unless the end users work on
the system frequently.
Additionally, end users have little
or no knowledge about the form in
which the information is stored. Even
worse, the user's conceptual view of
the information has no mapping to
the physical or logical format of the
data. Users are interested in data ac-
cess from a high level of abstraction.
This means they want the ability to
retrieve information in a form im-
mediately useful to them. This often
includes
1) Data summaries:
"What were the total commissions
paid in the Western sales region
last month?"
"Rank our product lines in terms
of profitability."
2) Implied calculations such as averages
and percentages:
"What is the average salary in the
Accounting Department?"
"Give me the percentage of total
sales in each region."
3) Aggregation of data over time:
"How did our sales in January
compare to our sales in March?"
The flexibility of an English query
system makes it possible to phrase
questions in many different ways.
228 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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BYTE January 1984 229
Mainframe Versions of Intellect
The current verisons of Intellect run on
IBM mainframe computers— the '370, 4300,
and 30xx series as xoell as compatible ma-
chines made by Amdahl, National Semi-
conductor/ IPL, and others.
These processors range from the IBM
4321, which is a 0,2 million-instructions-
per-second (MIPS) machine to the 3084,
which runs at 20 MIPS,
Intellect runs under all three of IBM's
mainframe operating systems— VM/CMS,
DOS/VSEyandMVS. The Intellect system
interfaces to most popular mainframe data-
base management systems, including
IDMS, ADABAS, SQL, andVSAM.
Artificial Intelligence Corporation also
offers DEAM, its own indexed retrieval sys-
tem.
/The mainframe Intellect system is writ-
ten primarily in PL/I, with a few routines
(less than lOpenent) coded in IBM assem-
bly language.
Depending on the operating system and
DBMS interfaces, the Intellect load module
is between 600K and 900K bytes. Virtual
memory required by each user is approxi-
mately 200K bytes.
A license to run Intellect on an IBM
mainframe costs $69,500. An optional in-
terface to IBM's PGF graphics package
(which fallows the user to ask in English
for pie charts, bar charts, etc.) costs
$15,000.
These fees include one-year maintenance,
documentation, training courses at AIC,
and applications consulting.
AIC sells Intellect directly, with its own
sales' force, and through OEM and joint
marketing arrangements with other com-
panies (IBM, Cullinet) . There are approx-
imately 150 mainframe installations of the
system, most of them in Fortune 1000 com-
panies.
Porting Intellect to the personal com-
puter environment has produced no major
problems to this stage of the project. There
are some differences between Digital Re-
search's PL/I compiler and the IBM main-
frame PL/ 1 compiler, but these incompati-
bilities are overcome by clever coding.
The fact that hardware capability is not
an issue in adapting Intellect to personal
computers is a testament to the blurring
of the lines separating mainframes, minis,
and micros^
Some of these may be wordy, while
others can be quite concise. In almost
all cases, however, it is possible to be
more concise in English than with a
formal command language. In addi-
tion, some English query systems
allow references to previous ques-
tions using implied pronouns. For
example,
"List the first and last names of
the secretaries to our New York
City office."
"How many are married?"
Users can vary the selection criteria
of a previous question very easily and
succinctly:
"Who are the salespeople over
quota in the Eastern region?"
"Western region?"
A simple English dialogue graceful-
ly resolves ambiguities and spelling
errors. If an ambiguity is detected,
the system requests the user to clarify
his intent. The user may be asked to
clarify a word that may have multiple
meanings in the database (such
as New York), to correct a spelling
error, or to enter a new definition or
conceptual relationship into the sys-
tem's vocabulary.
These examples show how high-
level concepts expressed in natural
language can evoke a very complex
series of operations in response to a
simple question.
A system that can use conversa-
tional English to retrieve, analyze,
and present information in a useful
form will provide knowledge workers
and middle- to upper-level managers
with tools they desperately need and
can use immediately.
Most large companies purchase a
number of different application tools
from different vendors. Many firms
organize these software tools into an
internal Information Center. This
facility can provide a greater level of
analysis, consultation, and support to
end users.
A benefit of natural-language query
systems is their ability to perform the
function of "traffic cop" or integrator.
It is highly desirable to have the nat-
ural-language interface be the only
interface visible to the end user.
Users can then issue a single request
to have data selected, analyzed, and
displayed. They do not have to learn
the various command structures and
intricacies of separate DBMS, graph-
ics, or display packages. Users re-
quest work in ways they are used to.
The natural-language interface
overcomes the two traditional prob-
lems preventing the information
center from being a completely useful
facility for the end user. First, each
application package or software tool
uses its own specific language. Sec-
ond, these components are usually
independent of one another, allow-
ing no communication or control of
data transfer among them.
Some NL systems also provide
selection, summarization, and anal-
ytic capabilities beyond those avail-
able in the DBMS. Multiple passes
over the data can perform such arith-
metic operations as sorting and total-
ing by category, ranking, obtaining
averages, performing comparisons,
and formatting the information for
output in a report or graph.
In fact, in many companies the nat-
ural-language system is becoming the
"hub" of the Information Center. In
these cases, end users can access
many tools, including graphics pack-
ages, analysis and modeling systems,
application programs, report writers,
and DBMSs. The following types of
requests are possible:
"Give me a pie chart of our
1983 sales in New England
broken down by state."
"Print a report sorted by depart-
ment of the average salary,
number of employees, and the
average departmental salary in-
230 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Fiur Aimers Ti Yur
S-100.Milti-User Problens.
Intercontinental Micro Systems makes
everything you need for S-100 bus multi-user
systems, networks or single user systems.
At a price that won't break your budget.
Quite simply, our single board computers,
slaves, 256K memories and personality
boards let you build a system now. not later.
The hardware works, the software works,
and the prices are what you'd expect from
a company that uses the most advanced
design,- software and production techniques
to keep costs down.
What you won't expect is the almost
awesome sophistication of Intercontinental
Micro System's products.
So stop messing around with multiple sourc-
ing, hardware integration problems and
software nightmares. Come to Intercontinental
Micro and get it all — price, performance
and delivery
Read the specs, then call, write or circle the
bingo number below. We'd be glad to send
more information and help solve your S-100,
multi-user system problems.
1 CPZ-48000 SINGLE BOARD COMPUTER.
□ IEEE696.1/D2S-100compliance. □ Z80A; M 4MHz Operation.
□ Floppy disk controller (FDC). Single or double sided. Single
or double density. 8" or 5 ] ti! nTwo synchronous or asynchro-
nous serial I/O channels (SIO). dTwo parallel I/O channels
(PIO). □ Four channel DMA controller. D64K on board RAM.
□ Memory management unit (MMU). Addresses up to 16
megabytes of system memory. □ Eight Vectored priority
interrupts. □ Provisions for 2K or 4K onboard EPROM. nSoftwareselect-
able baud rates. □ IBM Bisync, HDLC, SDLC and other protocols. ncP/M: -
MP/IVTandTurboDOS'" operating systems available. □ Turbo-Disk"
implementation included.
CPX-MX SLAVES.
Zd IEEE 696.1/D2 S-100 compliance. D Compatible with
CPZ-48000 SBCR any Z-80A based CPU with extended address
capability or 16 bit based CPUs complying with IEEE 696.1/D2
bus specification, d Z-80B™ 6MHz (CPS-6X) or Z80A4MHz
(CPS-4X) operation. dTwo synchronous (CPS-MS) or
asynchronous (CPS-MA) serial I/O ports, a TurboDOS™ &
CP/NET compatible. D Master confiscation of slave memory
for diagnostic purposes, a Two parallel I/O ports; eight data
bits + 2 handshake lines per port. D 64 Kbytes of onboard dynamic RAM.
□ Master/slave memory-to-memory transfers under DMA control @ 571
Kbyte/sec transfer rate when used with CPZ-48000 SBCP D Software
selectable baud rates. □ Usable as an intelligent I/O processor in single
user system.
3 256KIVIB-100 256K MEMORY.
D IEEE S-100 bus, spec 696.1/D2 compliance.The 256KMB-100 is
compatible with most IEEE S-100 board products now on the
market. □ Linear addressable to 2 megabytes. □ 225 nano-
second accesstime, maximum, 160 nano-seconds, typical.
D295nano- second read-write time, minimum, a Bank
selectable16K increments. □ I/O port address bank selection.
d Configures for phantom deselection. D Parity error detection,
visual and/or interrupts, a Bank selection compatible with CROMIX, ,B
CP/M2.2" MP/M!" Alpha Micro, and other major systems.
PERSONALITY BOARDS.
□ Centronics printer. □ 8 inch floppy disk. □ 5'A inch floppy
disk. □RS232serial communications, asynchronous/
asynchronous modem. □ Priam smart/smart E hard disk.
□ Long distance serial communication (2000 ft @ 9600 baud).
□ Shugart Associates Systems Interface (SASI). □ Clock /
calendar. DKonan David. Jr." hard disk. □ Archive tape drive.
Circle 193 on inquiry card
4015 Leaverton Court
Anaheim, CA 92807
(714) 630-0964
Telex: 678401 -TAB-IRIN
Z80A & Z80B are trademarks of ZILOG Corp. • CP/M, MP/M & CP/NETare trademarks of Digital Research Corp. • TubroDOS is a trademark of Software 2000 Inc.
CROMIX is a trademark of CROMEMCO Corp. -DAVID JR. is a trademark of KONAN Corp.
Circle 351 on inquiry card.
1
1
M
1
FA
#v©
The facsimile for people with small spaces,
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Never before have so many
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Our new Gmnifax G39 digital
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Sold and serviced by Telautograph's
own facsimile experts nationwide
and Canada. For brochure or demon-
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Don't settle for less: up to 40 cps, your choice of over 200 metal-
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Whether you rent, buy or lease our equipment, you'll find MTI is the
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New York: 5 1 6/621-6200, 212/767-0677,51 8/449-5959
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Apple II
IBM Personal Computer
Radio Shack TRS-80
Commodore IEEE 488
Centronics "Parallel"
RS232C "Serial"
Applications Specialists & Distributors, New York, New Jersey and Ohio.
DEC, Intel, Lear Siegler, Texas Instruments, Dataproducts, Diablo, 3Com,
Hazeltine, Racal-Vadic, Digital Engineering, MICOM, Cipher, U.S.Design,
Protocol Computers, MicroPro, Microsoft, Polygon and Select.
crease in 1982."
Because the NL query system acts
as the supervisor, the underlying
work of scheduling and dispatching
tasks becomes invisible to the end
user. This has both advantages and
disadvantages. On the positive side,
users can become more productive
because they share the ability to issue
very powerful commands with far
fewer keystrokes. The learning curve
is greatly shortened, and users find
that the computer is a far more ac-
cessible tool.
A drawback may be an overly sim-
plistic view of the amount of work
necessary to answer a seemingly
simple query. Frequently, questions
that appear easy and "cheap" to
answer are not, while queries that
appear complex are in fact "cheap" in
terms of machine resources. This is
more likely to be a serious problem
in the multiuser mainframe environ-
ment, with extremely large databases
on line, than with a single-user
microcomputer system.
Use on Personal Computers
With the rapidly expanding hard-
ware capabilities of the personal com-
puter, it is now possible to transport
natural-language processing technol-
ogy to the current generation of ma-
chines. Increased memory capacity
and Winchester-disk technology
combined with more sophisticated
operating systems such as MS-DOS,
Concurrent CP/M, and Unix make
the application of this technology
commercially viable.
What better fit could there be for
the increased accessibility and user
friendliness of a natural-language
system than in the domain of the per-
sonal computer? Some people
believe the direct-manipulation meta-
phor, as exemplified by popular
spreadsheet programs such as 1-2-3
and Visicalc, is the best human inter-
face. Others believe that the mouse
and window technology of Lisa, Visi
On, and Quarterdeck Software's
DesQ is the wave of the future.
Everyone agrees that integration of
applications and tools within a com-
mon operating environment (with
compatible file structures to facilitate
232 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 261 on inquiry card.
The CONCEPT AVT
Because VT100 users
deserve more than just
VT100 compatibility.
■
IE
&>*-
THE CONCEPT DISPLAY TERMINAL
VT100 compatibility is one thing, but eight pages of memory,
programmable function keys, windowing, multiple computer capabilities,
ANSI standard conformance. ..and VT100 compatibility is something else.
Only from Human Designed Systems.
A good news/great news story from Human
Designed Systems.
First the good news. The concept AVT display
terminal gives you everything you need in an
80/132-column ANSI/VT100-compatible display
terminal. And at a very competitive price.
Now the great news. The concept
AVT display terminal provides an
exciting, new set of capabilities that
lets you do much more. Without
changing the price.
It starts with ANSI standard conform-
ance, DEC software compatibility, and
80/132-column capability, and extends that even
further by offering eight pages of display
memory to relieve the interactive user of the
need to generate unnecessary hardcopy
printouts and to provide the application
developer with a powerful tool for applications
requiring multiple formats and storage of large
volumes of text; by enabling users to
permanently configure a terminal for their needs
or applications; by providing functionality
"Quantity one. DEC and VT are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation.
designed to improve the effectiveness of slow-
speed applications; by enabling users to create
true windows within display memory; by
providing programmable function keys which
transmit data and/or execute terminal
commands; by providing up to three additional
communications ports for connection to other
peripherals and computers; by
providing flexible user networking
functionality for use in a wide range of
different applications, including
multiple computer connections; and
by doing much more.
VT100 compatibility and ANSI
standard conformance. Add it to the concept
display terminal's 132-column performance, in
ASCII or APL/ASCII models, with multiple
computer capabilities, windowing,
programmable function keys, multiple pages of
memory, and much more, and you can see why
Human Designed Systems has given terminals a
new meaning. ..and that means true economy.
human designed systems, inc.
3440 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-382-5000 Circle 186 on inquiry card.
Human Designed Systems. We're redefining terminal performance.
Atlanta - (404) 391-9763; Boston -- (617) 329-3510; Chicago - (312) 925-2960; Dallas - (214) 437-1888; Delaware - Infocon: (302) 239-2942; Denver - (303) 469-1953;
Hawaii -Gray Associates: (808) 261-3751; Houston — (713) 952-1403; Los Angeles — (213) 410-9454; Northern New Jersey - Intocon: (201) 624-1372; New York City Area-
Intocon: (212) 689-8833; New York State - Naco Electronics: Rochester: (716) 223-4490; Syracuse: (315) 699-2651: San Francisco - (415) 692-4184; Washington, DC -
International Systems Marketing: (301) 279-5775; Argentina — Itron SA: (01) 774-9369; Australia — Computer Clarity Pty. Ltd,: (02) 241 3385: 1. O. Peripheries Pty. Limited:
(02) 427 3555; Belgium — BELCOMP: 09125 22 88; Canada - CAIL Systems: Toronto: (416) 362-1063; Denmark - ADCOM Data Aps: 1-1944 66; Finland - Modulsystem OY:
0-6926511: France -Walton: (1) 226.06.90; Singapore — DTS Singapore: (65) 33-88-566: Switzerland - Mitek ag: 01,461 22 52; United Kingdom - Shandel! Systems Ltd.:
02407-2027; Venezuela - H. Blohm SA: 2 541.21.22; West Germany - COMKO Computersystemges. mbH: 0221-48 30 51. DISTRIBUTORSHIP INQUIRIES INVITED.
data transfer) will become standard.
Does natural-language processing
technology have a place in relation to
these other models?
Natural-language processing will
be a complementary, rather than a
competitive, component of future
personal computer environments.
The direct manipulation and mouse/
window metaphors are best suited to
performing many tasks and will re-
tain a place as the method for per-
forming tasks such as financial plan-
ning, data manipulation, and data
maintenance. However, it is also true
that the power of natural language
makes it the method of choice for
operations such as database query,
analysis, and display.
The trend toward software integra-
tion is becoming prevalent in the per-
sonal computer industry. Various
strategies for achieving integration
include
1) the easy transfer of program con-
trol and data between applications
such as in Lotus's 1-2-3
2) the extension of this concept into
a consistent operating environ-
ment such as Lisa or Visi On
3) the development of families of
generic products from a single
manufacturer, such as the Perfect
series, the Easy series, etc— these
may have a common command
structure across applications
4) the ability to integrate standard,
off-the-shelf software products in-
to an operating shell or environ-
ment such as Quarterdeck's DesQ
All of these approaches have bene-
fits and drawbacks. Trade-offs must
be made in flexibility, functionality, or
compatibility. Specific trade-offs in-
clude a lack of choice— the applica-
tion you want may not be available
in the environment you've chosen; a
higher price— the applications you
need may be more expensive because
they work in a special environment;
and an inability to use software you
currently own because it doesn't
work in a particular environment.
A natural-language interface can
enhance any of these models. English
can exist as a layer under an operat-
ing shell to perform supervisory
tasks. It can act as an integrator as
well as a supervisor to facilitate com-
munication and data transfer among
different software products. It can act
as the simple, easy-to-use human in-
terface for people who want access to
information without needing or
wanting to become familiar with the
underlying components.
As a result of the power of the
English language to concisely express
complex commands, a natural-lan-
guage front-end can greatly simplify
the amount and complexity of key-
strokes or "mouse picks" necessary
to perform an identical operation
with non-English commands.
For example, consider a database
consisting of a file with information
on the Fortune 500 companies for
1981. Each record consists of the fol-
lowing fields:
Company Name
City
State
Industry
1981 Assets
1981 Income
1981 Equity
Number of
Employees
SATISFY YOUR DRIVES I
70 MAIN/FRAMES
& DISK ENCLOSURES
FROM $100
800D2F
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Write or call for our brochure which
includes our application note:
"Making micros, better than any
ol' box computer"
siftiiffi&iflie
8620 Roosevelt Ave./Visalia, CA 93291
209/651-1203
We accept BankAmericard/Visa and MasterCard
234 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 190 on inquiry card.
186
ome to expect irom jjv/ivi/id uaia r-KuuuL/rd, now in a
single board computer. THUNDER 186 utilizes a highly integrated
80186 microprocessor from Intel to bring all the features required of
an SI 00 bus computer system together on a single height IEEE-696
The Thunder 186 features:
.or(10Mhz8086
loppy disk controller, controls both SW and
isk drives simultaneously.
RS232 serial ports with full handshaking,
parallel printer port.
sr 128K bytes or 256K bytes of no waitstate
mic RAM with parity.
[EEE-696 (S100) bus compliance.
THUNDER 186 is the only single board 16 bit computer
that requires no additional boards to complete a
functional system. THUNDER 186 is fully supported by
our full line of operating systems: MS-DOS**, CP/M-86*
MP/M-86* and CONCURRENT CP/M-86*, which
are all available immediately. Thunder 186 includes
CONCURRENT CP/M-86 in the low introductory price.
128K Byte version
256K Bvte version
$1250.00
$1595.00
LIGHTNING 286
*CP/M-86 and CONCURRENT CP/M-86 are trademarks of
Digital Research. **MS-DOS is trademark of Microsoft
***Lightning One is trademark of homas Data Products, Inc.
the fastest CPU board on the SI 00 BUS available. Now our Lightning
286 replaces the Lightning One as the fastest board on the S100
BUS. We have incorporated the Intel 80286 microprocessor on a
CPU board that again brings new levels of performance to micro-
computers. The 80286 is capable of supporting up to 16 megabytes
of physical memory and up to 1 Gigabyte of virtual address sp
when utilized in virtual address mode. In real address mode, th
80286 is compatible with the vast library of 8086/88 programs
already written. We have the three major operating systems
available immediately on our Lightning 286, no need to wait for third
party support to take advantage of this exciting new processor.
m'«n*!S
ssP*
s*^
64 Kbytes of onboard EPROM
•stored interrupts expandable to 65 levels
_ Full compliance with IEEE 696
_ Multi-layer board for low-noise reliable
operation
In addition to these features, a high speed
memory bus expansion port has been included
that will allow extension of the memory with a high
speed dynamic memory board. The use of the
companion memory board will allow use of an 8
Mhz 80286 without memory wait states. The board
will contain 1 Mbyte of memory, and will allow
cost efficient expansion of 80286 memory space.
Price $1395.00
If your application requires 1 6-bit computing power and versatility,
call Lomas Data Products today.
Dealer inquiries invited.
LOMAS DATA PRODUCTS, INC. □ 66 Hopkinton Road, Westboro, MA 01581 □ Tel: (617) 366-6434
Circle 225 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 235
Supeff
****** *£3SS*
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II
At Diamond Software we
offer the best selling business application soft-
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possible prices. And we maintain a complete technical department
to assist you before, during and after your system purchase. Not only that, we
offer same day shipment on most items and we accept Visa, Mastercard and
also American Express. We'll even pay the shipping charges if you send
us a money order, cashiers, company or personal check. Purchase orders
are gladly accepted from qualified organizations and we welcome dealer
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TO ORDER CALLTQLI^FREE 1-800-227-0545
Diamond SOftWare SUPply 484 Lake Park Ave.. Suite 123- Oakland. CA94610
For price quotes, information, or In California call 1-41 5-893-7676. We credit your order for
thecall. Technical Department (415) 893-7678. International Telex 338139(attn. 149)
Support, Service and Price.
Shipping/Handling UPS surface $3.00 plus an additional $3.00 per item for UPS Blue.
COD. orders add $4.00. For personal check allow 2 weeks for delivery.
Of these fields, the state, industry,
and 1981 income are indexed.
Let's compare the command se-
quences necessary to perform data-
base retrieval and analysis with dBase
II vs. the natural-language query sys-
tem, Intellect.
In order to find the companies
located in California with sales over
$10 million, dBase II requires that we
type
LIST ALL COMPANY, STATE,
SALES81, FOR STATE = , CA
.AND. SALES81> 10000000
With English query, it is possible to
type
"List the companies in Califor-
nia with sales over 10,000,000:'
or
"CA with sales over 10,000,000:'
(This question can be phrased several
ways to obtain the correct answer.
Note, too, that the inflection of the
word "companies" to "company" is
implicit in English but must be the
exact field name in dBase II.)
The advantage of natural language
is most apparent when further selec-
tion criteria or substitutions are
desired. For example, if you want to
add the selection criterion of com-
panies employing over 10,000 people
to the previous question, with dBase
II you must reenter the complete
query with the new selection
criterion:
LIST ALL COMPANY, STATE,
SALES81, FOR STATE = 'CA
.AND. SALES81> 10000000
.AND. EMPLOY81> 10000
With English, we can type
"Also over 10,000 employees."
To substitute Illinois for California,
the entire query would need to be re-
typed with "STATE = TL in dBase II.
With English, we can type "in Il-
linois" or "in IL."
The natural-language system can
236 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 128 on inquiry card.
further summarize the data— rank-
ing, averaging, and doing com-
parisons as well as producing pie
charts, bar graphs, and histograms.
It can also format the data for output
to a report or graphics package.
These examples demonstrate that
natural-language technology has a
place in the personal computer
market.
What is required to make this cur-
rent level of mainframe performance
available to today's microcomputers?
Before the advent of 16-bit systems
with increased memory, hard disks,
and faster microprocessors, the most
serious problem was simply one of
size. However, computers such as
IBM's PC XT and Apple's Lisa clear-
The advantage of
natural language is
most apparent when
further selection
criteria or substitutions
are designed.
ly have the horsepower to run large,
complex programs. In fact, the
amount of computation available to
a personal computer user may exceed
the share of resources available to a
timesharing user on a large
mainframe.
The most serious issue with mak-
ing natural-language query systems
available to personal computer users
is the same issue that concerns any
effort to make mainframe technology
available— the necessity to make the
entire system usable by a person who
is not a data-processing professional.
In the mainframe arena, there is
often a clear distinction between the
people who have a need to query the
information base and those respon-
sible for creating and maintaining it.
While there will certainly be cases in
which personal computer users want
to query data prepared by some other
person or group, a common case will
be the one in which a single in-
dividual is the user of the informa-
tion and the database designer, data-
entry clerk, and system programmer.
In order to allow this "jack of all
trades" to easily define, create, main-
tain, and query databases in natural
languages, one approach is being
taken by Symantec, a company
founded by Gary Hendrix from the
Stanford Research Institute. In this
system, all the functions a user
desires are part of the natural-
language system itself. This approach
is somewhat analogous to the 1-2-3
system, in which all functions are
provided under a single umbrella.
Another approach is being taken
by AIC in its development of a per-
sonal computer version of Intellect.
This approach involves interfacing on
the input side with popular personal
computer database systems such as
dBase II. On the output side, Intellect
will allow data to be displayed by
already existing personal computer
graphics packages and even by a
spreadsheet package such as Visicalc,
Multiplan, or 1-2-3. This approach
enables users to preserve their exist-
ing investment (of both dollars and
time) and permits use of the "best"
technique for getting the job done.
Data may be retrieved and summa-
rized by Intellect and then presented
to a spreadsheet for further manipu-
lation.
A problem with this approach is in-
tegrating the database system's defi-
nition of a concept (such as a field or
a value) with that of the natural-lan-
guage system. On the mainframe
side, this job has traditionally been
done by support personnel in the DP
group. On the personal computer
side, the user will have to perform
this integration.
Let's say, for example, that we have
a database of all the personnel in a
small company. The data includes
name, job, age, salary, address, de-
partment, date hired, and so on. We
assume that the system has access to
all the information in the database
(such as the name of each field and
its contents). When the user first
sits down with the system, he might
type
"List the earnings of everyone
in the shipping department."
Since the system knows only the
names of the fields in the database
system, it would not know the word
Circle 464 on Inquiry card.
Heart of TEXAS
COMPUTER SYSTEMS
TRS-80
Model IV Portable: CALL
Model 12 & 16 at discount: CALL
TCS Model 12 with 2 drives: $2995
Model 12/16 Accessories/discount.
TCS Model IV, 64K, 2 Drive w/rs-232
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The New TRS-2000: CALL
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We carry the full TRS-80 line. Call for our discount prices.
DISK EXPANSION „.,„ «-.«
1 Controller, Pwr.Sup. Hdwr., Instruct. $249 $329
2 Kit 1, plus 1/40-trk.Tandon Dr. $429 $479
3 Kit 1, plus 2/40-trk. Tandon Dr. $598 $649
3a Kit 3 w/2 80 trk.drives $698 $729
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Model IV needs 64K to operate. For 64K Kit, CALL.
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Quality disk drives-O.E. brand on IBM
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January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 237
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earnings.
The system must give the user a
choice as to what the unknown word
"earnings" means. It could simply be
a misspelling of some word the sys-
tem knows. Or, as in this case, the
user intends the word as a synonym
for the already known word "salary."
If the user were to type "List all the
executives," the correct definition of
"executive" might be anyone who has
the title of president, vice-president,
or director.
The system "learns" the vocabulary
of the user over time. This is, of
course, the most basic form of learn-
ing ("learning by being told") and is,
in fact, how people acquire much of
their knowledge.
The personal computer version of
Intellect— which will be written in
PL/I, as is the mainframe version-
is currently under development. The
product will be ready for shipment in
1984. An IBM PC with 512K bytes of
memory and a hard disk will be the
minimum initial target machine.
Business people are the target users
of a PC version of Intellect. They re-
quire access to information stored in
both mainframe and microcomputer
databases. They also need timely and
flexible analysis and display capabil-
ities. A concurrent or multitasking
operating-system environment will
best provide this flexibility. The use
of windows and pointing devices
(mice) may also contribute to this en-
vironment. Users need the ability to
search a database while concurrent-
ly examining a spreadsheet or print-
ing a report.
It is planned that the initial version
of Intellect will integrate English
query with several popular commer-
cial microcomputer and mainframe
DBMS packages and provide output
to popular graphics and spreadsheet
programs for further data analysis
and manipulation. In most cases,
AIC intends to integrate its natu-
ral-language technology with existing
applications software rather than
develop a proprietary line of applica-
tions. In some cases, AIC may choose
to enhance a capability of an existing
product rather than, or in addition to,
interfacing with a third-party pack-
age.
Intellect allows the end user to dy-
namically and interactively enhance
the vocabulary and concepts available
to Intellect. It will permit users to
create and populate a new database
or use data definitions previously
defined in a DBMS or file manager.
A future goal of the product is to
allow all user customization and
fluency enhancements to be per-
formed interactively. Another
planned enhancement is to allow
users to dynamically modify as well
as query data.
Summary
We have seen examples of the cur-
rent level of natural-language tech-
nology in the mainframe world and
examined its place in the personal
computer environment. This technol-
ogy will not replace the "direct
manipulation" paradigm but rather
complement it, giving the user a
choice of the best tool to accomplish
a particular task. Given the power of
today's personal computers, it is only
a matter of time before several natural-
language systems will be available. ■
References
Harris, L. R. "A Model for Adaptive Problem
Solving Applied to Natural-Language Acquisi-
tion." TR 72-133. Cornell University: Depart-
ment of Computer Science, 1972.
Hendrix, Gary, and Earl Sacerdoti. "Natural-
Language Processing: The Field in Perspec-
tive" BYTE, September 1981, pages 304-
352.
Winograd, T Understanding Natural
Language. New York: Academic Press, 1972.
Wolf, A. K., C. S. Chomsky, and B. F. Green.
"The Baseball Program: An Automatic
Question-Answer." TR 306. Lexington, MA:
Lincoln Laboratory, 1963.
Woods, W. A., R, M. Kaplan, and B. Nash-
Webber. "The Lunar Sciences Natural-Lan-
guage Information System: Final Report."
BBN Report 2378. Cambridge, MA: Bolt
Beranek and Newman Inc., 1972.
Jane Eisenberg is product director at Artificial In-
telligence Corporation (100 Fifth Ave., Waltham,
MA 02254). She received a B.S. from Cornell
University and an M.S. in molecular biology from
Boston College.
Jeff Hill is director of research and development
at Artificial Intelligence Corporation. He received
B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. degrees from MIT, where
he was involved in natural-language research at
MIVs Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.
238 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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242 BYTE January 1984
*XT is a registered IBM trademark
Circle 124 for Dealer Inquiries. Circle 125 for End-User Inquiries.
Portables— 1984 and Beyond
Idea-Processing Software
and Portable Computers
The new wave of computers demands new software
Imagine you've arrived at a busi-
ness appointment 10 minutes early.
Instead of killing time flipping
through a magazine, you reach into
your briefcase and pull out a portable
computer. You turn the power on and
move the cursor through an outline
of the points you want to cover in the
meeting.
After a small reorganization (you
wanted to discuss the project sched-
ule after discussing personnel re-
quirements), you move the cursor
down to the financial-projections sec-
tion and press the key marked
Spreadsheet. Instantly, a small win-
dow opens up on the screen, and
you try a few calculations and decide
that your assumptions make sense.
Turning the power off, you spend the
next five minutes browsing through
a magazine.
In 1977, Alan Kay (then at Xerox's
Palo Alto Research Center and now
chief scientist at Atari) speculated
about the design and use of portable
computers. It was just speculation
then, but now, in 1984, it's real-
people are buying and using portable
computers that are very much like
the "Dynabook" that Kay described.
by David Winer and Peter Winer
1984 is the year that the personal
computer leaps off your desktop and
into your briefcase, your knapsack, or
your shopping bag. Before facing the
wide-open future of software for
portable computers, let's look at the
history of portable computing.
A Short History
The first portable computers
existed before personal desktop com-
puters, before Wordstar and Visicalc
and even CP/M. Texas Instruments'
Silent 700 terminal, with a built-in
modem, a full keyboard, and a ther-
mal printer, was portable, even
though it weighed almost 50 pounds.
It had a handle on it; you were sup-
posed to carry it around with you. In
1973, some people actually did, risk-
ing sore arms and back. The conve-
nience of carrying around computer
power was worth some discomfort.
Then came the personal com-
puters, desktop machines made by
Apple, Commodore, Radio Shack,
then IBM, and so on. By 1981, some
even had handles (e.g., Osborne and
Kaypro). This meant you could carry
"transportable" desktop-computer
power somewhat less painfully (the
Compaq Portable Computer, intro-
duced in 1982, weighs only 28
pounds).
Transportables aren't fully portable.
Like old tabletop radios, they're too
heavy to be carried conveniently, and
they must be plugged into a wall
socket. Transportables haven't begot-
ten new types of software; they come
bundled with the usual desktop soft-
ware (word processors, spreadsheets,
database packages) and the usual
software support structures (CP/M
on the low end, spelling checkers
and program generators on the high
end). So much software comes
bundled with the transportables that
the market for software specific to
them has never developed substan-
tially. Even Compaq, which bundles
only the operating-system software
and a disk-based version of BASIC,
has little software built specifically to
exploit its transportability.
This trend is not surprising. The
manufacturers of transportables
spend a lot of advertising dollars to
portray their machines as nothing
more, nothing less, than transpor-
table clones of the desktop machines
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 243
they are emulating. This is an effec-
tive short-term strategy, but in the
long term it has caused software
manufacturers to ignore the special
communications capabilities that
many transportable units have.
In 1983, the first useful portable
computer, the Radio Shack Model
100, was introduced. Manufactured
in Japan by Kyocera and marketed in
the U.S. by Tandy, the Model 100 has
caught on in a spectacular manner
and points the way toward truly con-
venient portable computing.
A Successful Design
Why was the Model 100 such a
breakthrough? Basically, there are
three reasons: its screen, its key-
board, and its software. Before the
Model 100, portables typically had
much smaller liquid-crystal display
(LCD) screens. The Epson HX-20
with its 4-line by 20-column display
can't compare with the 8-line by 40-
column display of the Model 100. For
most people a 4 by 20 display isn't big
enough. An 8 by 40 screen is barely
adequate, but on the Model 100 it is
workable. The smaller screens on
other computers fail to meet the re-
quirements of effective personal com-
puting.
The keyboard on the Model 100
uses the standard QWERTY layout
and has eight function keys, four ar-
row keys, and several dedicated func-
tion keys. You can touch-type on this
keyboard; the full-size keys have a
solid feel.
The system software of the Model
100 is stored in ROM (read-only
memory). Turning on the machine
automatically takes you into the top
level of this software. From there, you
can move a cursor over a menu of
files, which can be BASIC programs
or text files. You can edit a text file,
run a BASIC program, or search a
text file in several ways. Terminal soft-
ware is included, enabling file trans-
fers over the built-in modem, serial
port or parallel port, and remote ac-
cess to computer networks and bul-
letin boards.
Although significant, the Model
100 is just a transition product. An ef-
fective portable of the future will have
a full 25 by 80 screen, more memory,
a 16-bit processor, and software that
is better adapted for portability. The
year 1984 is when such a portable,
weighing less than 10 pounds, will
appear on the market. How will such
a computer fit into our lives?
Applications
Clearly, as the Model 100 illustrates,
software for portable computers is
different from software for desktop
computers. The companies behind
the machine invented a new style of
portable computer— one intended to
assist in a broad range of applications
including BASIC programming, text
editing, appointment scheduling,
name and address lookup, and com-
munications.
Let's consider the problem of de-
signing software for the ideal por-
table, one with sufficient memory
(say 256K bytes) a faster processor
(8086 or 68000), a larger screen (25 by
80), and maybe even a disk drive.
Although significant,
the Model 100 is just a
transition product.
How would software for this portable
be designed?
Before implementing the first pro-
totype, any good software designer
will sit down and pose a few crucial
questions dealing with the "who,
what, why, and where" of the soft-
ware product.
Who will be using the software?
How much experience do they have
with personal computers? How old
are they? Are they male or female?
How much education do they have?
How much money do they make?
What will they do with the soft-
ware? Should the software be tar-
geted at a particular task?
Why are they using the computer
instead of paper and pencil?
Where will the computer be used?
Now that we're designing software
for portable computers, we have to
consider "laptop," "bedtop," "beach-
top," "cof fee-tabletop," and "floortop"
use.
To be effective, the software for a
portable computer has to be adap-
table to a variety of situations, there-
fore it has to accommodate a variety
of information structures. Stand-
alone software that's simple enough
to be used on the run must also be
capable of producing sophisticated
results. It must be simple, with small
reference cards instead of extensive
users manuals. The best portable
software will appeal to the same
broad market in which Atari and Col-
eco video-game machines sold in
1981. Simplicity will be one of the
most significant factors in the success
of portable software.
Our informal interviews with users
of the Model 100 have yielded some
clues to the who, what, why, and
where of portable software.
Today, the primary users of por-
table computers are people who also
use desktop computers. Therefore, a
highly valued feature is the ability to
upload and download information
between the portable unit and the
desktop unit. But eventually, just as
portable radios and portable cassette
players created their own markets,
portable computers will appeal to
people who aren't currently using
desktop computers.
Most Model 100 owners use the
machine for fact gathering, notetak-
ing, simple calculating, organizing,
and thinking, with little or no BASIC
programming. (Many said they use
the BASIC interpreter as a calculator,
for computing ratios or summing
numbers.) Our interviews indicated
that the text editor is the program
used most often; name/address look-
up and scheduling are the programs
used least often. There was not much
demand expressed for full-blown
word-processing, and spreadsheet
capability was considered important
only by "spreadsheet people." The
need for a relational database pack-
age (such as dBASE II and PFS) was
expressed by consultants with exten-
sive bases of information to draw
from.
Most users said they enjoy the con-
venience of a portable computer. Por-
tables are also used to fill small gaps
of time, time that would otherwise be
wasted. There seems to be no limit
on where a Model 100 is used: air-
planes, podiums, parties, waiting
rooms, restaurants, and hotel rooms.
244 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
A Design for Portable Software
Now we have a feel for the who,
what, why, and where of portable
computing. After talking with users
of the current technology, we're ready
to embark on some speculation about
the future of portable software.
Will conventional database manag-
ers be the best operating software on
portables? Probably not. Database-
managing packages require that
organization be preplanned, that all
manipulation of structure take place
before any information is entered.
Database products such as dBASE II
and PFS require that each fact or idea
fit into a given layout or "template."
The implementation of this type of
database, no matter how user-friend-
ly, can serve effectively only for ap-
plications such as accounting, mass
scheduling, and mailing lists, in
which the format of all information
can be determined in advance.
More appropriate for the user of a
portable computer is a database sys-
tem that accommodates flexible
organization and reorganization of
concepts, ideas, or outlines and is not
limited to records, fields, and files. A
system should let a small section be
reorganized without affecting
material in other sections of the
database.
Using such an "idea-processing"
software package is the opposite of
production-oriented software or
"productivity software." Word pro-
cessors, a prime example of pro-
duction-oriented software, take
finished presentations and turn them
into attractive printed documents.
Taken to the limit in a desktop en-
vironment, word processing incor-
porates graphics and typesetting
capabilities— advanced features, yes,
but the wrong set of features for idea
processing. The right features for
idea processing are "soft" concepts
such as outlining, structural editing,
and easy manipulation of displayed
information.
Idea-processing software supports
brainstorming, fact compilation,
organizing, and reorganizing. Idea
processors exist in the noncomputer
world; for example, notebooks, index
cards, blackboards, and appointment
books are all idea-processing tools,
much as a typewriter is a noncom-
puter word processor.
Good idea-processing software
supports the belief that the world is
a chaotic, disorderly, rapidly chang-
ing information structure, not a pre-
dictable table of rows and columns.
With an idea processor you can easily
add new facts and ideas and then
painlessly reorganize the rest of your
model to reflect the change. Idea pro-
cessing does not exclude the need for
word processing; it's useful to have
a link between a portable idea pro-
cessor and a desktop word processor.
Dimensions of the Portable
Industry
We've mentioned two portable ma-
chines, the Radio Shack Model 100
and our hypothetical 16-bit, 256K-
byte, 10-pound "ideal machine." But
there are many other machines that
qualify as truly portable: the Gavilan,
Convergent Technologies' Workslate,
GRID Systems' Compass, Sharp's
PC-5000, as well as others that are
just being introduced. (See Septem-
Our Specialty: 68000, 6809 CPU, graphic, database, communication, export
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EAGLE * 128K RAM, two floppies,
software
FOR IBM PC
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Software and other equipment. . .CALL
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DMP 40 795
DMP 41, DMP 42 CALL
HIPAD digitizer 725
AMDEK XY plotter 1 pen 665
6 pens 1,095
MT PLOTTER PIXY-3 3 pens 650
MODEMS
HAYES Smartmodem 300/1200 bps . 520
Micromodem II w/software . . 270
NOVATION Smartmodem 300/1200 bps . 455
LEXICON 300 bps acoustic coupler. . . 145
USR Password 1200/300 375
MITSUBISHI
8" DS,DD Qume & Shugart compatible
M2394-63 bare drive 390
M2396 slimline bare drive 410
Cabinet for dual 8" full size 250
Cabinet for dual 8" slimline 200
Cable 50 Manual 25
BASF Disk drive 5V4 " SS,DD include cabinet,
power supply and cable at 50% OFF
ONLY $95.00 (limited qty)
SALES
Prices subject to change. American Express, Visa/
Mastercard add 3%. F.O.8. point of shipment. 20%
restocking fee for returned merchandise. Personal
checks take 3 weeks to clear. COD on certified check
only. IM.Y. residents add sales tax. Manufacturers' war-
ranty only. International customers, please confirm
price before order. Accept P.O. from Fortune 500,
schools and gov't.
Computer Channel TELEX:
21-55 44th Road 429418
Long Island City, NY 11101 CSTNY
For information CALL (212) 937-6363
To order CALL 1-800-331-3343
=&
Circle 87 on Inquiry card.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 245
Circle 146 on inquiry card.
We make C easy-..
and work!
Eco-C compiler... we've
got it all.
Whether you're a seasoned professional or
just getting started in C, the Ecosoft C com-
piler has everything you'll ever need.
COMPLETENESS:
Our Eco-C compiler is a complete im-
plementation of C and supports all operators
and data types (including long, float and
double).
EFFICIENCY:
The compiler generates extremely efficient
Z80 code using Zilog's mnemonics. On the
benchmarks tested, typically we finished
either first or second using substantially less
Generated code.
ORTABILITY:
The Eco-C library contains over 100 func-
tions that are UNIX V7 compatible, and in-
cludes a complete transcendental package.
Programs developed with the Eco-C compiler
can oe moved to virtually any system with
little or no change.
EASE OF USE:
The Eco-C compiler includes Microsoft's
MACRO 80 assembler, linker, library
manager and supporting documentation. The
assembler (M80) generates industry-standard
REL file output. The linker (L80) is fast and
uses only the functions you request in the
program. Program development is a snap.
The user's manual is clear, concise and full
of useful information. For those of you just
getting started with C, we also include a
copy of the C Programming Guide (Que).
This B. Dalton Best Seller has been adopted
by a number of leading universities around
the country and is included with each com-
piler. The book is designed to help you learn
C from the ground up. We ought to
know... we wrote the book.
We've made the compiler easy to work
with for the professional and beginner alike.
Most error messages, for example, tell you in
English (not just a number) the line number
and character position of the error, what was
expected and a page reference to the Guide
to consult for help if you need it.
P CE:
We saved the best for last; we've cut the
price by $100.00. Now you can buy the Eco-C
compiler for only $250.00 (MACRO 80 and
the book alone are worth $218.00!). Shop
around and we think you agree that the Eco-
C compiler is the best value available.
The Eco-C compiler requires a Z80 CPU,
CP/M, 54K of free memory and about 240K of
disk space (one or two drives). An IBM-PC
version will be available in the first quarter of
84. To order your Eco-C compiler, call or
write.
t Ecosoft Inc.
P.O. Box 68602
Indianapolis, IN 46268 L^cJa
(317) 255-6476 h^J}
TRADEMARKS:
Eco-C (Ecosoft), MACRO 80 (Microsoft), CP/M (Digital Research)
246 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
ber 1983 BYTE, pages 36-44, for a
comparative list of portables.)
The trend is upward. The newer
machines have lower prices and
higher performance, screens and
memories are larger, and 16-bit pro-
cessors are more common. When the
market for portables matures two or
three years from now, what will a
portable computer look like? We
guess that there will be three "levels"
of portability, each defined in terms
of price, capability, and bulk.
Machines at the lowest level will
cost about $250 and will use technol-
ogy similar to that of the Model 100
with a minimum-sized screen, a full
keyboard, and no disk drive. It will
run a refined version of the Model
100 software (no BASIC, better idea-
processing software, less emphasis
on specific applications such as an
address book and scheduler).
The middle-level machine will cost
about $1500 and will provide the
functionality of our mythical 256K-
byte portable, but it will not have a
disk drive. The unit will run ROM-
based software, will be compatible
with the standard desktop operating
systems, and will interface to stan-
dard desktop computers as a key-
board. The operating software on this
portable will offer sophisticated and
easy access to the desktop's printer,
typesetter, hard disk, and network-
ing capabilities. Applications soft-
ware will be up- and downloaded
with a single keystroke. A large num-
ber of portable-specific applications
will be available, including more
powerful idea-processing software. It
will connect to RS-232C devices and
phone lines. Watch for radio commu-
nications, an interface to the develop-
ing cellular radio network. Because
the middle-level portable will not
have a disk drive, the bulk of the unit
will be only slightly larger than the
$250 machine.
The high-level machine will have
more memory, a disk drive, perhaps
a small printer, and will sell for $2500
to $5000. It will have all the capabili-
ties of the middle-level machine, but
it will also weigh more (as much as
25 pounds) and thus be less portable.
There will be a smaller market for this
machine; it will be aimed at those
people who need to carry an entire
computer system with them (e.g.,
consultants with large databases).
Future Developments
How big will the portable-com-
puter industry be, and what impact
will it have on society? We believe
that the machines at the lowest level
will sell in the same mass-market
numbers as Atari and Coleco game
machines did in 1982. The industry
that will serve this huge base of
people using portables will be very
broad. Users will need software,
hardware, and means of hooking in-
to phone and cable networks. They'll
need services such as electronic mail
and bulletin boards, training, and
maintenance— many of the same ser-
vices that current users of desktop
computers need but in larger num-
bers and with more emphasis on
communications and convenience.
Certainly, having computers that
travel increases the number of places
that can be tied into a computer
network.
Will portables finally force the de-
velopment of a national computer
resource for mail and messages or a
standard for high-level communica-
tions? We think so, but it may take as
long as five years for such sophistica-
tion to develop in the market. Cur-
rently, users of the Model 100 and
other portables are communicating
through networks such as The
Source and CompuServe. Yet,
because of the current price and per-
formance of these services, we don't
expect portable-computer users to
turn these networks into mass-
market consumables.
A new breed of software will be
needed for desktops and main-
frames. The bigger machines will
have to monitor telephones and re-
spond to commands when you dial
in using a portable computer.
Bulletin-board software will evolve
into an efficient way to access desk-
top and mainframe resources from
remote locations. ■
David Winer is president of Living Videotext Inc.
(Suite 232, 1000 Elwell Court, Palo Alto, CA
94303). Peter Winer is a software consultant based
in Brighton, MA.
SUPER SIX
fl&*ataW»yj
^^in
ttfiiiinij
SUPER SIX, THE FIRST 6MHz S-100 SINGLE BOARD COMPUTER
TO SUPPORT BANKED CP/M™ 3.0
SUPER SIX FEATURES:
128 KB of Bank -
selectable RAM
6 MHz, Z-80B CPU
DMA Controller
6 MHz, Z-80B DART
(2 Serial RS-232 Ports)
6 MHz, Z-80B PIO
(2 Parallel Ports)
6 MHz, Z-80B CTC
(Clock Timer)
Double/Single Density
Floppy Disk Controller —
Supports 8" and 5-1/4"
Drives Simultaneously
2/4 KB of Monitor
EPROM
S-100, IEEE 696
Compatible
*CP M is a trademark of Digital Research Corp.
TurboDOS is a trademark of Software 2000 Inc.
SUPER SIX and SUPER SLAVE are trademarks of
Advanced Digital Corp.
SUPER SIX & CP/M™ 3.0
A PERFECT MATCH
Advanced Digital has found the
perfect match to its powerful,
high-speed SUPER SIX single
board computer. It's Digital
Research's new CP/M 3.0.
Because of SUPER SIX's 128
KB of RAM, it is the only
S-100 board to support CP/M
3.0 in the banked mode; or run
CP/M 2.2 with 64 KB of extra
buffer.
SUPER SIX & TurboDOS 1M
ANOTHER PERFECT MATCH
When you combine the
TurboDOS multi-user operating
system with the 6 MHz SUPER
SIX, you'll find your system
running 1-1/2 times faster than
before. Add the 4 MHz or 6
MHz SUPER SLAVE™
processor board(s) and you will
have the fastest multi-user,
multi-processor system available
today.
See the SUPER SIX at your
quality computer dealer or
contact:
<&
VANCED
ITAL
CORPORATION/
043Z Production Dr.,
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
Phone: (714) 891-4004
Telex: 678401 TAB IRIN
The Chaplin character licensed by Bubbles, Inc., S.A.
Draw attention toyourself.
(Write a program for the IBM Personal Computer.)
Let your imagination take wing.
Think charts. Graphs. Shapes. Images.
Use originality, creativity and color in programs
that entertain. Educate. Organize. Analyze. And
programs that get down to business.
Maybe you've written software like that. Or
perhaps you're thinking about it.
If so, consider this.
You could draw attention to yourself by writing
programs^r the IBM Personal Computer on the
IBM Personal Computer. Because all our advanced
features (see the box at right) make it faster and easier
to do so.
Enhanced BASIC already in ROM, for example,
has graphics commands already built in.
And if you write a program using our Advanced
BASIC, you'll find the DRAW command
particularly appealing. It's virtually a separate
graphics language within a larger language.
Put your visual together with both the
characters and symbols in ROM for a simultaneous,
text-and-graphics mix.
Have musical accompaniment as well.
It's easy, because BASIC controls the built-in
speaker with a single command.
Utilize the ten, programmable
function keys, 'fry F3 to paint.
F4 for lines. F5 for circles. Or
F6 for boxes.
I 1
IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER SPECIFICATIONS
User Memory
64K-640K bytes
Microprocessor
16-bit, 8088
Auxiliary Memory
2 optional internal
diskette drives, 5 l A"
160KB/180KB or
320KB/360KB
per diskette
Keyboard
83 keys, 6 ft. cord
attaches to
system unit
10 function keys
10-key numeric pad
Diagnostics
Power-on self testing
Parity checking
i
Display Screens
Color or monochrome
High-resolution
80 characters x 25 lines
Upper and lower case
Operating Systems
DOS, UCSD p-System,
CP/M-86t
Languages
BASIC, Pascal, FORTRAN,
MACRO Assembler,
COBOL
Printer
All-points-addressable
graphics capability
Bidirectional
80 characters/second
18 character styles
9x9 character matrix
Permanent Memory
(ROM) 40K bytes
Color/Graphics
Text mode:
16 colors
256 characters and
symbols in ROM
Graphics mode:
4-color resolution:
320h x 200v
Black & white resolution:
640h x 200v
Simultaneous graphics &
text capability
Communications
RS-232-C interface
SDLC, Asynchronous,
Bisynchronous protocols
Up to 9600 bits per second
Remember that these function keys make your
program more "friendly" to the user and, therefore,
more appealing to us.
In fact, if you're interested in licensing your
software, we could be interested in publishing it.
We could also be interested even if it runs on
another computer. If we select your software, we'll
ask you to adapt it to our system.
So if you think your software is close to
picture perfect, consider sending it in.
For information on how to submit
your completed program, write:
IBM Personal Computer,
External Submissions, Dept. 765 PC,
Armonk, New York 10504. =====®
The IBM Personal Computer
A tool for modern times
For more information on where to buy the IBM Personal Computer, call 800-447-4700. In Alaska or Hawaii, 800-447-0890.
tUCSD p-Syscem is a trademark of the Regents of the University of California. CP/M-86 is a trademark of Digital Research. Inc.
Circle 187 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 249
SUMO-TESTED
WOULD YOU BELIEVE 3 OUT OF 4 ^JMO WRESTLERS RECOMMEND CASES BY COMPUTER-MATE rM ?
Neither do we. But, it wouldn't surprise us. Because our cases are built
with brute strength, able to take a tough beating trom even the mighti-
est challengers.
Stop wrestling with your computer equipment. With our cases you
have ease of transportation plus maximum protection for all your
components. Standard cases available for IBM, DEC, Apple, Tl.
plus many others. Custom built cases are also available to
help protect almost any configuration of sensitive equipment.
For loss prevention, each case has a 3" x 5" personal
identification frame and individual serial number
with toll free number. And like all Computer-
Mate products, each case is pre- screened
for excellence and backed with a 100%
unconditional guarantee.
ii
*L
Chances are your
computer equipment will
never undergo a heavy bout
with a Sumo wrestler,
but with protection from
Cases by Computer-Mate™,
the odds are 3 to 1 your
equipment would win.
For order/information contact:
Computer-Mate. Inc.
1006 Hampshire Lane, Richardson, Texas 75080
Dallas (214) 669-9370 • Texas Residents (800) 442-4006
Out of State (800) 527-3643. Dealer inquiries welcome.
^m
Beyond
the Application Program
A Different Approach to Integrated Software
Element managers that implement objects
such as spreadsheet tables and text paragraphs may supplant the
traditional concept of the application program
To bring the benefits of personal
computers to professionals who
travel widely, portable computers
must have a basic set of facilities for
data storage, data manipulation, and
data transmission. These facilities
include a word processor, a spread-
sheet, a personal database, and a
combination terminal-emulator and
file-transfer system.
Since travelers lack luggage space
for reference manuals, software in
portable computers must be easy to
learn how to use and, perhaps more
important, easy to remember how to
use. This requires a user interface
that is visual— one that lets the user
see what is going on— and one that
is consistent across all applications.
Moreover, the consistent user inter-
face must let the user create docu-
ments that include data from two or
more different applications.
This article describes what we at
Gavilan Computer Corporation be-
lieve is an innovative approach to in-
tegrating software for portable com-
puters in order to achieve high func-
tionality and ease of use. Our soft-
ware has antecedents in the object-
oriented software developed at the
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center and
described in the August 1981 issue of
BYTE. After orienting you in the out-
by John Banning
ward appearance and fundamental
terms of our software and discussing
our development tools, I will discuss
the structure of our software, which
actually puts the user interface in
charge of the computer, and the in-
tegrated application facilities, which
are provided through "elements" and
"element managers" rather than dif-
ferent application programs, each
with its own unique kind of docu-
ment with its own unique structure.
Software in portable
computers must be
easy to learn how to
use and easy to
remember how to use.
The element-manager approach lets
users have different kinds of objects,
such as paragraphs and spreadsheet
tables, in the same document, and
lets the objects retain their normal
behavior and functionality. For exam-
ple, a spreadsheet table appearing in
a letter can still recalculate if a value
used in one of its formulas is
changed.
Orientation
Gavilan's approach to building
easy-to-understand software is based
on objects whose state the user can
observe directly (because that state is
displayed on the screen). The user
manipulates these objects with a
small, uniform set of operations. In
addition, these objects are based on
things that are familiar to most users:
file drawers, file folders, documents,
paragraphs, and so forth.
Photo 1 shows an image of what is
called the desktop as displayed on
the portable computer's screen. On
it are a file drawer and a number of
documents, each tagged with an im-
age (called an icon) that suggests a
kind of object (the front of a file
drawer or two overlapped pages of a
document). These images on the
desktop represent objects that are
open and thus accessible to a user.
This view can always be brought up
by pressing the Desk Top button on
the control area on the front of the
computer (figure 1).
Also visible (near the center of the
photo 1 screen) is a small arrow. By
moving your finger over the touch
pad on the front of the unit (the
blank area in the middle of the con-
trol area shown in figure 1), you can
move this arrow around, pointing it
at things on the screen. This is the
key that ties together the visual
nature of the interface (the ability to
Circle 103 on inquiry card.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 251
Photo 1: The Gavilan computer's desktop image.
a
9 VVOi '-■ ■';!!.;>£ =..-
Photo 2: A display illustrating the selection of file drawer A.
view documents directly) with the
manipulation of objects. Instead of
remembering object and command
names and typing them into the
computer, you point to an object and
an operation.
You can point to the desktop icon
of one of the open objects (photo 2),
and then, by pressing the Select but-
ton (see figure 1), indicate that you
would like to examine the contents of
that object.
If this "on-screen button" operation
is performed to select the photo 2 file
drawer, what you might see is shown
in photo 3: the file-drawer contents,
which consist of file folders and
documents arranged in outline form.
Again the pictorial icons suggest the
kind of object you are looking at. As
with the desktop, the contents of a
document can be viewed by pointing
to the document icon and pressing
the Select button.
But you can also select data that is
displayed in the file drawer (the
names of the documents and file
folders) by pointing at a document
name and pressing the Select button.
Having selected part of an object, you
can perform any number of editing
operations on it such as typing into
it or (by pressing the appropriate but-
ton) deleting, moving, or copying it.
By pressing the figure 1 Menu but-
ton, a whole list of on-screen buttons
for various standard operations can
be called up (photo 4) and then
selected. The operations available
here are exactly the same ones that
would be used to edit or otherwise
manipulate a paragraph or a spread-
sheet.
As with the desktop, by pointing to
a document's viewing icon and press-
ing the Select button, you can look
at the contents of a document. Photo
5, for example, shows text arranged
in a paragraph, followed by the cells
of a spreadsheet table. Again, by
pointing to a particular object, you
can select data in that object and do
an operation on it.
Note that by selecting data in the
paragraph, you begin interacting
(through the human-interface soft-
ware) with the word-processing ap-
F1
HELP
F3
EXTEND
SELECT
L _
F5
SELECT
F6
F7!
SCROLL
F9
DELETE
CANCEL
, F2 ,
DESK
TOP
F4
MENU
F8
COPY
MOVE
Figure 1: The Gavilan computer's control area.
252 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Introducing a sensible solution
to the problems of dBASE E
dBASE II
The Sensible Solution
Records Per File
65,535
999,999
Maximum Record Size
1,024 bytes
1,536 bytes
Fields Per Record
32
384
Key Fields Per File
7
10
Number of Files
Simultaneously Accessible
2
10
Number of Screens Per Program
Limited by
system memory
Limited only by
system storage
Data Dictionary
No
Yes
We don't mean to debase dBASE II, but if
you're looking for a data base manager that's long
on features, dBASE II can come up a little short.
For instance, a single dBASE II record can only
contain 32 fields. And when you need to share
information between one file and another, you can
only access two at a time.
So, as good as dBASE II is, its limitations can
quickly paint you into an electronic corner.
And that's why we created The Sensible Solution.
Finally
A sensational relational.
Along with all the usual things you expect
from a data base manager, The Sensible Solution lets
you handle the kind of tough assignments that
dBASE II can't:
You can design data files with more than 300
variables. You can create reports using 10 different
files at once. You can even set up file locking for
multi-user computers.
Ready to get down to business.
A data base manager without ready-to-run
application programs is hardly worth the disk it's
copied on.
So, along with The Sensible Solution, you can
also add The Sensible Solution Bookkeeper™ or
Sensible Management™ our complete one-entry
accounting and management system.
They're both affordable. Business-tested. And
supplied with source code so you can make your
own modifications.
A sensible trial offer.
When you purchase The Sensible Solution,
we'll send along a special trial disk that lets you create
forms and enter a limited number of records.
If, after 30 days, you're not satisfied, just return the
unopened master system disk for a full refund.
So why not take us up on our trial offer? You've
got nothing to lose.
Exceptthe problems of dBASE II.
The Sensible Solution
To order, write or call: O'Hanlon Computer Systems, 11058 Main Street, Bellevue, WA 98004 USA,
Phone (206) 454-2261. Prices; The Sensible Solution -$695, Sensible Solution Bookkeeper-$495, Sensible
Management— $895. In Washington, add 7.9% state tax. VISA, Mastercard and dealer inquiries welcome.
dBASE II is a registered trademark of AshtonTate. Sensible Solution, Sensible Solution Bookkeeper and Sensible Solution Management are trademarks of O'Hanlon Computer Systems, Inc.
Circle 270 on inquiry card. byte January 1984 253
& Trip Reports ::: !usust'."-
C3 Business Plan Working Parens
CfiDR&D Expense Work Sheet: ' ;
CD F ! rospeci Contacts
3 Confederated Carbide Company
National. Metattronjcs Cor*.
(cSDPretiminary bales F ore-cast
Photo 3: The file-drawer contents.
£=3 Trip Reports (August)
En Business Plan Working Paper
d Carbide LO'- ,! ?: ;;ii
Photo 4: Pressing the menu button brings a list of on-screen buttons onto the photo 3 screen.
depreciation on the
conservative with n
d e ve I. o p m e n t a I m e t al s t .3
^srect to the amount of '
iTiPins
,;roe n«
equipment.
;=eded to re
. hut drv probably very 1
r -f ect the Furtzworrner
technique.,
Personnel
P e r s o n n e L E n p e n s a
9
b!3
'33
15
..i.t:...' %.*
; ' ' ■ . ' ' ' ;' . ^ ' . f
•
, !
Photo 5: Document contents.
plication. If you were to move the ar-
row down to the spreadsheet and
select data there, you would be in-
teracting with the spreadsheet appli-
cation. Thus, the idea of a program
as something the user has to under-
stand and deal with has been re-
placed with objects that users view
and directly manipulate by following
a few simple rules.
One of the standard operations
that can be performed on an object
is the Properties command (photo 6),
which lets you view or set some pro-
perty of an object. Selecting this com-
mand for a paragraph (photo 7)
shows that you can set character pro-
perties, general paragraph proper-
ties, or properties controlling the
printing of paragraphs. By selecting
character properties (photo 8), you
get a form that can be filled in to set
such features as boldface or italics.
Thus, the property mechanism offers
a uniform way of handling various
properties of different kinds of ob-
jects, helping to keep the number of
operations in the system small.
Structure
Figure 2 shows the overall structure
of the software that Gavilan has built
to implement this visual, object-
oriented approach.
This software is written in Interpac,
a proprietary language. Thus, the
bottom level of the software, which
provides the environment for the rest
of the software, is the interpreter for
the Interpac language.
The operating system is designed
not only to handle specialized aspects
of portable computing (e.g., power
and battery control), but also to pro-
vide the fundamental services neces-
sary to build an object-oriented soft-
ware system. These include a multi-
tasking monitor (to support multiple
254 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Microsoft languages
connect your software to
more 16-bit systems.
The largest market for 16-bit software. Over
95% of all 16-bit microcomputers run Microsoft®
operating systems, languages, or both. That means
your programs written in Microsoft languages find
their market in the largest installed base of 16-bit
systems. The IBM® PC, and systems from Wang,
Zenith, DEC, Victor, Altos, Texas Instruments
and Radio Shack, to name just a few. And, if you're
working with Microsoft operating systems and
languages, you'll find that it's far easier to trans-
port software between systems.
A full range of languages. The versatile MS-
BASIC interpreter and the fast MS-BASIC compiler,
Microsoft Business BASIC and MS-COBOL for
business use. MS-FORTRAN for scientific and engi-
neering applications. Microsoft C, a complete C,
that provides a productive alternative to assembly
language. And MS-Pascal, a high-level language
compiler specifically designed for microprocessor
system software implementation. All these lan-
guages are compatible with ANSI or ISO standards.
A total programming environment. Compatible
languages. Operating systems. Utilities. Plus
complete support. All the tools you need
to write software that sells.
Leadership in micros
Microsoft wrote the
first BASIC
for the
first production microcomputer. Since then, we've
added a full range of 8-bit and 16-bit languages,
plus the MS™-DOS and XENIX™ operating systems.
What's more, we are constantly enhancing both
languages and operating systems. And we make
those enhancements available to our customers.
That means Microsoft programming languages are
state-of-the-art programming tools. Tools that
allow your applications programs to reach more
systems. More effectively.
More information? See your Microsoft dealer
for complete information on Microsoft's 16-bit lan-
guages and operating systems. Or, write for our
booklet/The Microsoft Language Family." A family
of tools that give your programs access to the
largest installed base of 16-bit systems.
BETTER TOOLS FOR MICROCOMPUTERS
MICROSOFT
MICROSOFT CORPORATION
10700 NORTH UP WAY
BELLEVUE. WASHINGTON 98004
<fe
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Microsoft is a registered trademark,
d MS, XENIX and the Microsoft logo are
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
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Personnel
Photo 6: Selection of the Properties command.
Per-sonns
Per-sonni?! EH^vns
Photo 7: On-screen buttons allowing selection of character, paragraph, or pagination properties.
Personnel Effrense
Photo 8: Selectable character properties.
documents to be open on the desk-
top at one time) and block-structured
access to the disk and main memory.
Holding the objects that a user
views and manipulates is the job of
the data-structuring software. It pro-
vides object-oriented data structures
that are built on the blocks of the
operating system's disk and memory
services.
The human-interface software
handles all interaction with the end
user and thus has primary responsi-
bility for creating the visual access to
the objects held by the data-structur-
ing software and the commands that
work on them. The element manag-
ers shown next to the data-structur-
ing software in figure 2 are the main
kind of application facility in this
object-oriented system.
The development of this software
has all been done on Bell Labora-
tories' Unix operating system using
a number of compiling and debug-
ging tools.
Tools
Interpac, the language Gavilan's
software is written in, is based on the
FORTH language. The choice of
FORTH was dictated by a number of
considerations. First, it was impor-
tant to have compact code, as the task
before us was to generate a very so-
phisticated piece of software that
must run in a limited amount of
memory. At the same time, it was im-
portant to sustain a high level of ex-
ecution performance so that ade-
quate response to the end user could
be provided.
FORTH is ideally suited to these
conflicting goals, as its interpreted
form can be made compact, and the
256 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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BYTE January 1984 257
END
USER -*-
GAVILAN MOBILE COMPUTER
HUMAN-INTERFACE SOFTWARE
DATA-STRUCTURING
SOFTWARE
r
ELEMENT
MANAGERS
OPERATING SYSTEM
INTERAC INTERPRETER
Figure 2: The structure of the Gavilan computer's software, showing the main software com-
ponents and their relation to one another.
structure of the language gives the
programmer sufficient control to gen-
erate efficient code. FORTH also ac-
commodates the insertion of assem-
bly-language routines in those cases
where performance analysis indicates
that assembly language will provide
substantial improvements.
Another important quality that In-
terpac has inherited from FORTH is
the way it encourages the structuring
of software in layers of abstraction.
Each layer of FORTH "words" ("pro-
cedures" in conventional terms) is
built on the lower layer and provides
a more sophisticated level of abstrac-
tion to the next layer. This structure
is particularly natural in that all
operations in FORTH access their
arguments in the same way regard-
less of whether they are part of or
built on top of the base language.
FORTH in its pure form has some
drawbacks that needed to be cor-
rected. The combined interactive in-
terpreter and compiler . of classic
FORTH has been replaced by an In-
terpac compiler that runs under
Unix. This Interpac compiler gen-
erates much tighter code than that of
standard FORTH, using techniques
such as single-byte encoding of Inter-
pac words and constant values.
In addition, a number of changes
to the language were made to pro-
mote good software-engineering
practice. Declaration of Pascal-like
data structures was introduced to al-
low intelligible data-structure de-
scriptions. Declaration of parameters
on FORTH words was added to pro-
vide better documentation and allow
for automatic type checking. Stack
marking and local variables were
added to allow more complex words
to be created in a straightforward
manner. A module structure was in-
troduced to express modular decom-
position and the attendant hiding of
data structures and implementation
details.
Along with the Interpac language
and its compiler, a number of other
tools were created. A remote debug-
ger allows us to download programs
from the Unix system to a target
Gavilan unit and do symbolic debug-
ging from the Unix system with a
minimal impact on the target en-
vironment. This debugger also forms
the basis for a performance monitor
that tells us how much time is spent
in each Interpac word and a test-
coverage monitor that tells us what
code has not been exercised by a par-
ticular test.
A message-compression utility
allows us to compress by a factor of
four the English (or French or Ger-
man, etc.) text files used in error
messages, menus, and the help
facility.
Third-party software developers
have a similar set of tools available to
them. The difference is that they run
under MS/DOS on the Gavilan unit
or the IBM PC or XT and use the C
programming language rather than
Interpac.
System Software
The operating system manages and
controls the basic resources of the
system, including not only device
drivers for the computer's I/O
devices, but also control of power to
the peripherals and processor.
Because peripherals can be added
on to the unit and applications cap-
sules plugged into the unit, the
operating system provides services
for locating a particular device or ap-
plication. These services include a
logical I/O system that routes com-
mands from the rest of the software
and interrupts from the hardware to
the appropriate device driver. (Device
drivers are typically contained in the
peripheral that they control, and the
operating system provides a general
way of accessing them.)
Two functions of the operating sys-
tem contribute significantly to the
particular goals of the rest of the por-
table computer's software. The first of
these is the management of the
microprocessor tasks by way of mul-
tiple tasks synchronized through
semaphores. This approach allows
multiple activities to proceed simul-
taneously in the system and provides
the basis for having multiple docu-
ments open on the on-screen desk-
top—just as you might have on a real
desk. It also provides an elegant
mechanism for power control: when-
ever the process dispatcher cannot
find any tasks that are ready to run,
it saves the processor's state and
turns the power off (power is auto-
matically restored by the next inter-
rupt).
The second way in which the oper-
ating system supports the user's view
of the portable computer is through
the block manager, which manages
secondary storage to devices such as
floppy disks. The block manager pro-
vides a uniform view of blocks,
whether they are on the floppy disk
or in main memory. It manages the
whole process of deciding which
blocks should be in memory and
which should be returned to secon-
dary storage. It also provides a trans-
action facility that is the basis of the
system's Undo command.
Data-Structuring Software
The data-structuring software
(whose structure is shown in figure
258 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 40 on inquiry card.
HUMAN-INTERFACE
SOFTWARE
1
1
DATA-STRUCTURING
SOFTWARE
DOCUMENT
MANAGER
I
u
ELEMENT-
MANAGER
INTERFACE
1
J
ELEMENT
MANAGERS
I
1
1
\
i
CELL- STORE
MANAGERS
i
1
V
ENTITY MANAGER
<
'
OPERATING SYSTEM
Figure 3: Details of the data-structuring software, which provides storage for and access
to documents.
3) provides storage for and access to
documents. It is built upon the block
manager, which provides raw data
storage and creates the structures that
hold the state of objects. Three prin-
cipal kinds of objects are supported
at this level: documents, elements,
and cell stores.
A document can exist on its own on
a disk (or in a file drawer, as it is
called) and roughly corresponds to
what is called a document in the real
world: a memo, a paper, a report, etc.
A document is made up of a se-
quence of elements, each of which
has a type and corresponds to some-
thing like a paragraph, section head,
spreadsheet table, form, etc. A docu-
ment may also contain a number of
cell stores.
All documents have the same
structure. There can be different
types of documents, but these are
distinguished principally by the
kinds of elements contained in them.
For instance, the file drawer, which
provides the directory of the contents
of a disk, is a special kind of docu-
ment that can contain only file-folder
and document-reference elements.
The second kind of object, an ele-
ment, has two parts: the storage that
holds its state, and a program called
an element manager. The state of an
object is held in a record-like struc-
ture provided by the lowest level of
the data-structuring software: the en-
tity manager. One important piece of
information kept by the entity
manager is the type of the element.
Each type of element (e.g., para-
graph, table, etc.) has associated with
it an element manager. This element
manager implements a standard set
of operations that can be performed
on an element, such as displaying the
element, handling a selection in the
element, typing into the element,
copying information out of the ele-
ment, etc. These operations are in-
voked by the human interface in
response to user actions. The element
manager performs those parts of the
uniform set of user operations that
are peculiar to a particular element.
The element-manager interface
maps the calls invoking a common
operation for an element to the ele-
ment manager associated with it
using the element-type code stored
by the entity manager for the
element.
The third kind of object supported
by the data-structuring software, the
SERIAL PORT
BTA's MODEL 524 MULTIPORT
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with the 524 simultaneously.
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Expansion to 16 ports by cascading
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sent to the peripheral device.
"Other models available — Contact us or
your dealer for additional information.
BAY TECHNICAL ASSOCIATES, inc.
<V; H IGH WAY 603, R O. BOX 387
BAY ST. LOUIS, MISSISSIPPI 39520
(6011467-8231
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 259
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cell store, holds values that can be
displayed by elements and maintains
some method of computing those
values. Thus, a spreadsheet-table ele-
ment displays the values of cells in a
cell store. The cell store holds the for-
mulas used to calculate the cell's
values. Cell values can also come
from such sources as a database
query or an arbitrary application pro-
gram, and they can be displayed by
any type of element, such as a form
or a paragraph. Thus, a paragraph
could talk about the results of a
spreadsheet, directly displaying cell
values from that spreadsheet, or dis-
play the results of a query in an ad-
dress database, thus handling such
applications as mail-merging.
Human-Interface Software
The human interface handles all in-
teraction with the user and is respon-
sible for displaying objects and effect-
ing those manipulations on objects
that the user requests. The structure
of the human-interface software can
be viewed in two ways.
The first (figure 4) shows the tasks
that run the human-interface soft-
ware. The highest-priority task is that
associated with the desktop view,
and this task controls which human
interface task has access to the input
devices and display. Each of the open
documents or file drawers in the sys-
tem has a task associated with it.
When such a task has access to the
input devices and display, the user
can view and manipulate the associ-
ated document and its elements. At
any time, the user may press the
Desk Top button, activating the desk-
top task, which takes over the input
device and display and which may,
at the user's request, cause another
task to get the input device and
display.
Figure 5 shows the other way of
viewing the human-interface soft-
ware: by its program structure. Each
human-interface task executes the
program shown in this figure. At the
lowest level are the input and display
routines that give access to these de-
vices and cause a human-interface
task to block if it is not allowed to ac-
cess the devices when it tries.
Above this are various utility rou-
260 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 93 on inquiry card.
Why buy aWSlML 102
instead of a DEC VT102?
14"
non-glare
screen *
Buffered
printer
port
Tilt/swivel
*- display
10x12
character
matrix
Status
-line
16
programmable
functions
Low
profile
keyboard
Plus...3raphics now or graphics later.
The new VISUAL 102 gives full DEC VT102" performance and more features at a much
lower price. Plus, when you need it, a Graphics Option card turns the VISUAL 102 into
a 768 x 293 resolution graphics terminal emulating the Tektronix'4010/4014. Just insert
the card and immediately you have high resolution graphics compatible with a variety
of available software packages.
VISUAL 102. The low cost, DEC VT102 compatible
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INCREASING
TASK DISPATCH
PRIORITY
ACCESS TO
DISPLAY AND
INPUT DEVICES
Figure 4: The structure of the tasks that run the human interface.
HUMAN INTERF
ACE
MAIN INTERPRETER
COMMAND EXECUTION
V
\
DOCUMENT-DISPLAY
MODULE
t i
\
!
»
DATA- STRUCTURING
SOFTWARE
l l
1
HELP
MODULE
MENU
MODULE
PROPERTY
FORMS
MODULE
\
1
1
r
1
DISPLAY-ACCESS
MODULE
INPUT-ACCESS
MODULE
,
M
f
OPERATING SYSTEM
Figure 5: The components and structure of the human-interface software.
tines for displaying menus of opera-
tions and property forms. Also here
is the Help module, which is called
on to provide help whenever the user
presses the Help button. This
module gathers information from its
environment and answers any of a
set of questions that the user can
select, such as "where am I?" "what
just happened?" or "what can I do
next?"
Next is the document-display
module, which has primary respon-
sibility for causing a document and
its elements to be displayed. It figures
out which elements in a document
are to be displayed on what parts of
the screen and calls the appropriate
entry points in the element managers
to cause the elements to be displayed
there. This module also remembers
what parts of what elements have
been selected and handles all move-
ment of the viewing window on a
document.
The top part of the human-inter-
face code is the main interpreter,
which actually reads the user's ac-
tions on the touch pad and keyboard
and performs the appropriate action.
Note that according to this organiza-
tion, the central human-interface
software is always in control and that
the application element managers are
only invoked when the human-inter-
face software deems it appropriate.
This not only means that common
code is concentrated in the human-
interface software, it also ensures a
uniformity of response, as the user
is always dealing with the human
interface.
Application Software
There are basically three ways in
which an application can fit into the
Gavilan portable computer's software
system. The first is as an element
manager, and most of Gavilan's ap-
plications use this mechanism to in-
teract with the user. Often such ap-
plications also involve a cell store.
The second way is as a more con-
ventional application program. In
this case the application code is as-
sociated with a human-interface task,
but it replaces the main interpreter
and the document-display module.
Although it must still follow the
human-interface conventions as to
when it has access to the keyboard
and display, it has a great deal more
freedom about how it interacts with
the user. Gavilan's communication
and terminal-emulation application is
one that follows this style.
The third application style is to in-
teract with the user through a form.
In this case the application is associ-
ated with a human-interface task that
displays a document with form ele-
ments in it. The user interacts with
the form element manager through
the main interpreter of the human in-
terface, viewing and filling out the
form. At various times, the user can
activate buttons on the form, invok-
ing the applications program.
Through a cell store associated with
the form, the application can read
values from the blanks in the form
and write values to other blanks in
the form. Thus, a life-insurance ap-
plication could use a form to gather
data about a potential client and then
use another form to display net
worth and other financial results for
the client.
In all cases, the application code
can access conventional files held by
the data-structuring software, retriev-
ing, updating, and displaying data
from these files. ■
John Banning is vice-president of software engi-
neering for Gavilan Computer Corporation (240
Hacienda Ave., Campbell, CA 95008).
262 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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How HP business graphics
Enhance your reputation for being more pro-
fessional, persuasive, credible and effective
than your competition with the new HP 7475A
Business Professional's Plotter.
Make a first impression that lasts
The vital importance of graphics to today's business professional
cannot be overstated. In survey
after survey, statistics prove
graphics can help you
spot trends and relation-
ships quickly,
analyze data
accurately, and
communicate
your ideas
with more
clarity
and power
than in any
other way.
Even more im-
portant, graphics
can actually increase
personal and company
productivity. And create a
first impression of quality and
professionalism that lasts and lasts.
Graphics: the end to meetings
that go nowhere
In a fascinating research project conducted by The University of
Pennsylvania, 123 MBA candidates were involved in a study
designed to test the effectiveness of business graphics in meeting
situations. The results were startling. In the group where visual
aids were used:
• Meetings were shorter: The study showed a 28% reduction in
meeting length when transparencies were used.
• Group consensus was faster: Agreement was reached by 79% of
the group using transparencies, compared with only 8% among
the control group using no visual aids.
• The decision process was accelerated: 64% of study participants
said they made their business decisions immediately after the vis-
ual presentation. When overheads were not used, the control group
said they delayed decision-making until some time after the group
discussion following the presentation.
• Presenters with visual aids were perceived as being more profes-
sional, persuasive, credible and effective than those not using
visual aids.
Now, with the new HP 7475A Business Professional's Plotter,
your meetings can have immediate and productive results like
these.
How the quality look
of HP graphics can help
The way you present your information can be equally as important
as the actual information you're presenting. And that's where the
new HP 7475A Business Professional's Plotter lets your profes-
sionalism shine through.
Standards unsurpassed in the
plotter business
The technical standards of the HP 7475A have no equal for pro-
ducing quality graphics. With a resolution of one-thousandth- of -an-
inch, curved lines are smooth, not jagged, and straight lines are
consistently straight. Its exceptional repeatability (the ability of a
pen to return precisely to a given point) assures that intersecting
lines and circular shapes will meet exactly. The result is high-quality
charts and graphs you'll be proud to present.
Why 6 pens when experts say 4 will do?
Graphics industry experts maintain that
good graphics contain four colors per
chart. But Hewlett-Packard goes the
experts two better by providing a
six-pen carousel, so you can
store andusepensof different
widths — thick pens for
bold headings and thin
pens for details. And
with six pens, you
won't have to
waste valuable time
changing them. That's
important when "the
boss wants to see your pre-
sentation in twenty minutes!"
With the HP 7475A, you also
get automatic pen capping to pre-
vent pens from drying out between
uses, and special "pen damping"
(gently lowering the pen to the paper or
transparency) to increase pen life and ensure better line quality. . .
use after use. after use. You also get a rainbow of 10 colors to
choose from , in two line widths.
Your choice: 2 paper sizes and today's
most popular graphics software packages
While most professional business applications will be satisfied with
standard SVi x 1 1 " paper or transparencies, the HP 7475 A adds the
264 BYTE January 1984
can be the key to your success,
capability of plotting on larger 1 1 x
17" media, too. The larger plots are
especially well-suited for time lines,
PERT charts, schematics and engineering
drawings.
Best of all, you don't have to be a programmer
to produce quality graphics on the HP 7475A.
It's supported by a variety of professional graphics
software packages for both HP and non-HP desktop
and personal computers.
Naturally, speaking of software compatibility leads us to
hardware compatibility. . . .
Compatible with almost any personal
computer in the marketplace today
With two interfaces available, the HP 7475 A quickly "makes friends"
with most models of today's most popular personal computers,
including IBM? Apple,™ Compaq™ Osborne® and Commodore™
--as well as a host of HP computers.
The cost? Surprisingly affordable
The new HP 7475 A Business Professional's Plotter is an amazingly
affordable $1895. When you consider that a typical fee for a single
five-color transparency from a graphics service is $50— and that
the same transparency can be prepared for about $1 in materials
on the HP 7475 A— the return on your investment is almost
immediate.
Another choice: HP's low- cost 5
high performance
Personal Computer Plotter
For the "business on a budget" you may also want a look at our
2-pen Personal Computer Plotter, the 7470A. Its low cost (only
$1095) is as remarkable as the quality of its plots. With many of
the same features as the new HP 7475A, the HP 7470A plots
on a single paper size (8V2 x 11"). It stores and caps two pens,
and you can easily change the pens
yourself for multi-color plotting. Best of
all, the HP 7470A 2-pen plotter lets you
turn your personal computer into a personal
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Send for your FREE "Better
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For a FREE sample plot, overhead transparency, and more
details, mail the coupon below today. We'll also enclose a list
of software packages you can use with the HP 7475 A or HP 7470 A.
ca
HEWLETT
PACKARD
For the name of your nearest
Hewlett-Packard dealer call
toll-free 800-547-3400.
1101303
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YE S ! I'm ready t o gain a reputation for being more profes-
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Please send me your FREE "Better Presentations Package," so
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I understand I will receive this valuable package without cost
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Name Title
Company
Address
City/State & Zip
Phone Number (_
My computer is
-)-
Send to: Hewlett-Packard
16399 W. Bernardo Drive, San Diego, CA 92127
Attn: Marketing Communications 113o3 BT1
Circle 183 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 265
#5;
MICROHOUSE
Prices subject to change without notice.
266 BYTE January 1984
Circle 249 on inquiry card.
Reviewer's Notebook
The Chameleon Plus
Last month I mentioned that See-
qua Computer Corporation of Anna-
polis, Maryland, was going to send
us a revised version of its low-priced
Chameleon. The first unit the com-
pany sent us had some difficulty
with its serial port and its parallel
printer port. In addition, its
documentation was somewhat
lacking.
This month, I am pleased to report
that Seequa has delivered on its
promise. We recently received a
Chameleon Plus that seems to be in
almost perfect working order. The
parallel printer port works without a
flaw, as does the serial port. And the
documentation for the MS-DOS op-
erating system seems as complete as
that for any other computer. There
are still a few very minor rough edges
(we still haven't received MB ASIC or
the CP/M-80 operating system yet),
but this machine looks pretty good.
Note, however, that the Chameleon
Plus is not the $1995 system I men-
tioned last month. The $1995 system
has only single-sided disk drives
(160K bytes each) and 128K bytes of
memory. In contrast, the Chameleon
Plus has the more useful double-
sided drives (320K bytes each) and
256K bytes of memory. It also costs
more— $900 more, to be exact, for a
total of $2895. That puts it in the same
league with other portable IBM
clones from Corona and Columbia
and even the slightly higher-priced
Compaq. The ace up Seequa's sleeve,
howevei; is its CP/M-80 compatibil-
ity, and the real value of the Chame-
leon will depend on how well the
company supports that capability.
Look for a detailed review of this
machine soon.
On the Printer Scene
As anyone who has been watching
by Rich Malloy
the printer market has probably ob-
served, a number of trends appear to
be developing. For example, several
good quality daisy-wheel printers
have been introduced at fairly reason-
able prices, and some are even
sprouting keyboards. Not to be out-
done, more and more electronic type-
writers are coming out with com-
puter interfaces. Meanwhile, dot-
matrix printers with increasingly
high resolution are appearing. A few
of these machines have come our
way recently.
Comrex, which is part of the Epson
family, has been selling daisy-wheel
printers for some time, seemingly in
competition with the tremendously
successful dot-matrix printers made
by its parent company. Comrex's
latest offer, called the CR-II Comxiter,
is a variation of the Brother HR-15
printer, and at $599 for a parallel ver-
sion ($649 for serial), it's a good buy.
The CR-II prints at about 13 char-
acters per second (cps), which seems
common for low-cost daisy wheels.
It can print at a pitch of either 10, 12,
or 15 characters per inch or do pro-
portional spacing, but the propor-
tional spacing requires a special daisy
wheel. I've been using the CR-II with
letterhead paper and it's been giving
me some very nice-looking docu-
ments. My only real complaint is that
its page-feed mechanism is a bit
awkward.
In the dot-matrix category, Mannes-
mann Tally of Kent, Washington, a
division of the giant Mannesmann
conglomerate in West Germany, has
been quietly producing high-quality
printers for some time now. Lately, it
has begun producing printers at
more reasonable prices.
The latest printer from Mannes-
mann Tally is called the Spirit-80.
About the same size as the Epson
MX-80 and priced at $399, the
Spirit-80 seems to be a good product
for the home market.
The Spirit has one of the best char-
acter fonts I've seen on a low-cost dot-
matrix printer, thanks to a Mylar rib-
bon and the use of square print ham-
mers. All of the dots actually connect
with each other. It prints at 80 cps.
And the choice of pitch is similar to
that of the early Epson MX-80: 9, 10,
and 17.8 characters per inch.
The TI 855 printer from Texas In-
struments is the latest in a line of TI
printers. This new dot-matrix printer
offers incredibly high resolution at a
fairly reasonable price ($935 for fric-
tion feed, $995 for tractor feed). In
letter-quality mode, each character is
composed of an 18- by 32-pixel grid.
These characters are almost indistin-
guishable from typewritten ones. As
for speed, the TI 855 prints at 35 cps
in letter-quality mode and 150 cps in
draft mode.
Perhaps the most interesting fea-
ture of the TI 855 is that the charac-
ter-font generator routines are stored
in removable cartridges. These car-
tridges can be interchanged just like
daisy wheels, and three cartridges
can be connected at one time. You
can switch from regular Courier type
to italic type and even to Orator type
at the push of a button.
One of the nice little things about
the TI 855 is that you don't have to
turn the printer off line before you
press the page-feed button, which
spares you a lot of button pressing.
The TI 855 seems to be a solidly
built printer. We've been using it to
print out our voluminous manu-
scripts, and it's been working very
well. I only wish we had some graph-
ics software that could take advan-
tage of its high resolution. Maybe
next month. ■
Rich Malloy is BYTE's product-review editor.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 267
Hardware Review
The Zenith Z-100
This system offers the best of the 8-bit and 16-bit worlds
by Ken Skier
After haunting computer stores and attending com-
puter shows for more than a year, I despaired of ever
finding a system that would meet my requirements.
What were my requirements? I just wanted the best of
both worlds. I needed an 8-bit CP/M system to run the
editor and cross-assembler I use in software develop-
ment, yet I didn't want to lock myself into an 8-bit en-
vironment. With all the new software coming out for the
IBM PC and its work-alikes, I wanted to be able to run
those applications as well. And although I had no im-
mediate need for graphics software, I wanted a system
that would support graphics displays because . . . well,
just because they're so pretty.
And graphics were what first drew my attention to the
Zenith Z-100. I was trudging down yet another aisle at
last fall's Northeast Computer Show, hoping that this
one might be the last, when an absolutely stunning dis-
play of color graphics stopped me in my tracks. "What's
this?" I asked the man. "This" was the new computer
from Zenith Data Systems, the Z-100. It had just the kind
of split personality I was looking for: an 8-bit side con-
sisting of an 8085 running CP/M and a 16-bit side con-
sisting of an 8088 supporting MS-DOS (known as Z-
DOS when it runs on the Z-100). Here was one system
that seemed to offer me the best of both worlds. And
to put the icing on the cake, its color graphics clearly
outclassed the IBM PC's.
So I bought it. And I've used it far more than 40 hours
a week for the last eight months. After that kind of road
test, I can report that I am still impressed by the machine.
Let's see why.
Physical Aspects
The Z-100 comes in two basic configurations: the Low-
Profile unit and the All-in-One. The All-in-One (photo
1) features a built-in monochrome CRT (cathode-ray
tube). The Low-Profile unit lacks a display, but it's only
7 inches high and designed to serve as a base for an ex-
ternal monitor. Both units provide signals for an exter-
nal RGB (red, green, blue) or monochrome video
monitor.
Both units are 19V2 inches on a side. The All-in-One
is 13 Vi inches high; the Low-Profile unit, true to its name,
stands only 7Vi inches tall. Each has room internally for
two 5V4-inch floppy-disk drives or for one floppy-disk
and one Winchester drive, and each can support one or
two external 8-inch drives as well.
Z-100 is enclosed in a "durable earthtone-color
cabinet" that has proved quite resistant to smudges and
fingermarks. The optional 8-inch floppy-disk system
comes in a cabinet of the same color. It would look at
home in any business or professional setting.
The Display
The Z-100's text display (photos 2 and 3) consists of 25
rows of 80 characters, each formed from a 5 by 9 dot
matrix. The characters are crisp and clean, and the let-
ters g, j, q, and y have true descenders.
Under ZBASIC, text can be displayed in any of eight
colors, and all selected colors may be visible on the
screen at the same time. By exchanging the foreground
and background colors, you can display text in reverse
video. Furthermore, ZBASIC gives you control of each
pixel on the screen, so you can underline any text or
move words and numbers up and down to create super-
scripted and subscripted text. These display attributes,
however, are up to the programmer; they are not built
into the operating system.
The Z-100's graphics capability (photo 4) is impressive:
225 rows of 640 pixels. If color memory has been in-
stalled, you can assign any of eight colors to any pixel.
(An RGB monitor is necessary to do justice to the Z-100's
color graphics capability; with a monochrome monitor,
you will see only eight levels of gray.) Text and graphics
can be displayed on the screen at the same time.
The display is bit-mapped as three planes of color: one
64K-byte plane each for red, green, and blue. Although
ZBASIC includes powerful graphics commands and
statements, the assembly-language programmer may
choose to access the screen directly by reading and
268 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Photo 1: The Zenith Z-100. This version fea-
tures a monochrome monitor in All-in-One
style. In another configuration, the Low-
Profile style, the monitor is in a separate
enclosure and the disk drives are arranged
horizontally above the keyboard. An RGB col-
or monitor is available for both styles. Note
that the keyboard has an IBM Selectric-style
key layout, with a numeric keypad on the right
and a row of function keys along the top.
writing the appropriate bytes in memory.
The Keyboard
The keyboard is one of the great strengths of the Z-100.
It consists of a standard typewriter keyboard bordered
on both sides by such frequently used keys as Control,
Help, and Delete, and topped by a row of 13 program-
mable function keys. To the right is a keypad of numeric
and cursor keys. There are 95 keys in all.
The keyboard has the feel of a Selectric typewriter or
dedicated word processor. The keys are nicely sculpted,
travel about an eighth of an inch, and bottom out posi-
tively. They are also extremely reliable. I am not a gen-
tle typist. (In my last job, I had to have my dedicated
word-processing keyboard replaced every few months.)
Yet the Z-100 has stood up now under eight months of
my hammer-handed typing and never missed a key.
The typewriter keyboard itself has an absolutely con-
ventional, Selectric-style layout. The Shift keys are where
you would expect them to be, as are the Tab and Return
keys. The Tab key is properly oversized, and the Return
key is oversized and shaped like a backward 'T— a great
big target that you can't miss, no matter how fast or wild-
ly you type.
The 13 programmable function keys in the top row can
be assigned any function quite readily in ZBASIC (a ver-
sion of Microsoft BASIC almost identical to IBM's
BASICA). A special Help key can be used by program-
mers to make their programs self-documenting, but not
all applications programs take advantage of this key.
Those that do, of course, are much easier to use than
those that don't. Someday . . . ah, someday every com-
puter will have a Help key, and every program will take
advantage of it.
All keys repeat automatically if held down. The nor-
mal repeat rate is 11 characters per second, but by
holding down the Fast Repeat key, you can make any
key repeat at 28 characters per second. I find this feature
tremendously convenient, especially when I want to
space halfway across the screen or enter a row of
asterisks into a program.
Like many dedicated word processors, the Z-100 clicks
to acknowledge each keystroke. I like getting this con-
firmation, but if you find it distracting, you can type an
escape sequence (described in the Z-100's excellent docu-
mentation) to suppress the key-click.
Part of the numeric keypad is a dedicated cursor pad.
Its layout is usable but less than ideal. If the cursor keys
were laid out in a diamond pattern, they would be easier
to use. They would also take up more space, but I would
willingly sacrifice the numeric pad for a diamond-shaped
cursor pad. Or Zenith could make the Z-100 a little wider,
to make space for a diamond-shaped cursor pad and a
numeric pad.
Disk Drives
As I mentioned before, the Z-100 has room internally
for two 5V4-inch floppy-disk drives or for one 5V4-inch
and one Winchester drive; it can also support one or two
external 8-inch drives.
The 5 V4-inch floppy-disk drives hold 320K bytes of data
(formatted) and are compatible with the IBM PC's drives.
Thus, you can create a file on a Z-100 (running Z-DOS)
and save it on a floppy disk, then carry that disk over
to an IBM PC (running PC-DOS) and access that file.
(However, although Z-100 disks are compatible with IBM
PC disks, that doesn't mean that you can save a program
on one machine and run it on the other. More on that
later.)
My main concern in dealing with any disk drive is its
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 269
be displayed in any of 8 cc
Under ZBASICt text can bs displayed in any of § colors, and all selected ^M *% • * % II W V VII* '»*» w A ■* •
colors ny be visible on the screen at the saw till. By exchanging the ■ « i • | i t
foreground and backiround colors, you uy display text in reuerse video. H I Aft C • flflil ■ AU fl I HI I JtU LP I L
Furihenore, ZBBSIC jives m control of each pixel on the screen, so you can ■ ft VI # J J IfH 111} Uitffi Ij IT* J* If ,
underline any text, or love words and nuibers up and dovn to create ^m I 1 It L • %
superscripted and subscripted text. These display attributes, however, are up Bti A Af| f ft ft I fif Alflfl AlVAf flfl I
to the program)", they are not built into the operating systei/ ■(£ ^ VII VI V i VI Cfllv II f 4 A V 1 VII
The Z-lM's sraphics capability is iipressive: 225 rous of 648 pixels. If lt|f|flfi£ Sflfl flllfthaflC HB Sflli llfl
color ie.ory has been installed, you can as««n »» of ««ht co Urs to an, ■tfUrUS «IlU ilVlUVrS tlf flflU Ul
Pixel. (An RSB lonitor is necessary to do justice to the Z-ilf i color I ^ ••• • ■
iraphics capability; with a lonochroie lonitor, you vill see only eight levels ■ J 1 ••*# IKa^ A Jl« J»m 1 %it %♦ ♦ ■
ofsrey.) Text and sraphics uy be displayed on the screen at the sa»e hie. ■{£ ^cXVl 1 II?>? Ul*r*«3 flVVl
The display is bit-iapped as three planes of color: one 64K plane each for ■ ■ i • ti • 1 _ 1L M •-•-•! • «
red, trim, and blue, filthoufh ZBftSIC includes powerful graphics coiiands and l|]QL II ill IT. 1 II LA :: ~ fittul'Jt l\
sUlmnls, the asseiblrlanguase projrauer m choose to access the screen ■IIV V •#« UV 411 V V VII V V r *» I V v 411
Photo 2: An example of text on the Z-lOO's monochrome display. Photo 3: A close-up of text on the Z-lOO's monochrome display.
reliability. The 5V4-inch floppy-disk drives on the Z-lOO
have proved themselves reliable beyond my wildest ex-
pectations. In the first six months of very heavy use, the
drives performed flawlessly. (I even had disks survive
power outages— with no loss of data!) However, I did en-
counter some disk errors when I persisted in using the
Z-lOO during periods of extremely hot, muggy weather.
(Installing an air conditioner and cleaning the heads
solved that problem.)
Unfortunately, 8-bit CP/M software is hard to come by
in the Z-lOO 5V4-inch format. I've resorted to buying it
on 8-inch disks and having my dealer transfer files from
the 8-inch disk to a Z-100 floppy disk. Or, if you have
access to a Kaypro, you can use it to transfer files from
many common 5V4-inch formats to the Z-100 format. (Of
course, if the Kaypro can do it, why can't the Z-100? If
the Z-100 could read assorted 5V4-inch formats, I'd have
a much easier time acquiring software. How about it,
Zenith?)
The optional 8-inch disk system includes one drive
($1599) or two drives ($2299) and stores 1.25 megabytes
on each disk. The advantages of this system include-
obviously— much more data storage on line as well as
faster disk access and the ability to buy software in the
At a Glance
Name
Zenith Z-lOO
Manufacturer
Zenith Data Systems Inc.
IOOO Milwaukee Ave.
Glen view, IL 60025
Components
Size: 19.5 by 19 by 7.5 inches
Processors: 8085, 8-bit, 5 MHz; 8088, 16-bit, 5 MHz
Memory: I28K bytes system memory (expandable to 768K), plus
three 64K-byte planes of screen memory; all parity-checked
Display
Text: 25 rows of 80 characters, 5 by 9 dot matrix ("soft" character
set, dynamically redefinable)
Graphics: 225 rows by 640 dots; 8 colors
Output: RGB and monochrome video
Keyboard
95 keys, including 13 user-programmable function keys and an
18-key numeric and cursor pad
Repeat rate: II characters/second; with Fast Repeat key: 28
characters/second
Mass Storage
Two internal 5 ] A -inch floppy-disk drives, double-sided, 320K, IBM
PC-compatible; controller supports two external 8-inch drives as
well; optional 11-megabyte Winchester may replace one of the
internal drives
I/O
Two El A RS-232C serial interface ports, software-configurable for
110 to 38,400 bps; one 8-bit Centronics-compatible parallel port
(output only)
Expansion
Bus provides five IEEE-696 (S-IOO) slots; disk controller occupies
one
Software
None included; CP/M-85 and Z-DOS (MS-DOS) are available, as
are 8-bit MBASIC, 16-bit ZBASIC, 1-2-3. Microplan. Wordstar,
Peachtext 5000. and other programs
Options
The Z-100 is available with 0, I. or 2 built-in 5!/4-inch drives; with
or without a built-in monochrome monitor; assembled and tested
(as the Z-100) or in kit form (as the Heathkit H-100). Software
package of Z-DOS, CP/M-85, ZBASIC, and MBASIC available for
$300
Documentation
278-page User's Manual. Two ring-bound manuals accompany
each of the following software products: Z-DOS, ZBASIC, CP/M-85,
MBASIC and Multiplan
Price
Prices range from S2199 for the HS-I00-31 (kit with one drive,
I92K RAM. monochrome graphics) to S3499 for the ZF-1I0-22
(assembled unit with two drives, 128K RAM, color graphics) to
$5599 for the ZW-I20-32 (assembled unit with one floppy-disk
drive and one Winchester, 192K RAM, monochrome graphics,
built-in nonglare green CRT)
270 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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Photo 4: An example of graphics on the
Z-100's monochrome display.
Photo 5: Inside the Z-100. The S-100 bus sits behind the disk drives and disk-drive controller
(upper left) and the display (upper right). Access to this bus is very simple. The top cover
of the machine can be easily removed, without unfastening any screws.
8-inch format.
The optional Winchester drive (about $2400) provides
11 megabytes on line, which may be transferred to or
from the Z-100 at 5 megabytes per second— an order of
magnitude faster than the 574-inch floppy-disk drives
can manage. That's invaluable if you have a large amount
of data, or many programs, on line. Still, you must back
up that hard disk eventually, and doing so onto 5V4-inch
floppy disks will take some time, since you might need
30 or more disks to complete the operation. Neverthe-
less, one can hardly fault Zenith for offering a hard disk
with so much capacity.
Microprocessors
The Z-100 is a dual-processor system. Its 8-bit 8085 lets
it run CP/M-85 applications, and its 16-bit 8088 lets it run
MS-DOS. Both processors run at 5 MHz.
Note that, although both processors are present, you
cannot use them simultaneously, and I am not aware of
any applications that transfer control from one processor
to another. Thus, in any given work session, the Z-100
is either an 8-bit system or a 16-bit system.
How do you tell the Z-100 which processor to use? Just
turn it on and insert the appropriate system disk. If you
insert a CP/M-85 disk, the Z-100 will configure itself as
an 8-bit, CP/M system. Or cold-start it with a Z-DOS
disk, and the Z-100 will configure itself as a 16-bit, MS-
DOS system.
Memory
The Z-100 is available with as little as 128K bytes of
RAM or as much as 768K, all parity-checked. The main
circuit board can accommodate 192K bytes of RAM; ad-
ditional memory requires memory cards, which plug in-
to the S-100 bus (photo 5).
(With all this RAM on hand, you might want to use
some of it as a RAM disk— or, in the 8-bit environment,
you might want to access memory beyond 64K through
the use of bank-switching. If so, you'll have to look to
third-party software developers, since the software sup-
plied by Zenith provides neither RAM-disk capability
nor bank-switching.)
In addition to the system RAM just described, the
Z-100 contains 64K to 192K bytes of video RAM. Mono-
chrome graphics needs only 64K, whereas color graphics
requires 192K: three planes of 64K each, to provide in-
formation for the red, green, and blue signals. A Z-100
with only monochrome graphics can be upgraded to col-
or by the addition of 128K bytes of RAM (a $290 option).
Interfaces
The Z-100 comes with two serial ports, a parallel printer
port, a light-pen interface, and outputs to drive RGB and
composite video monitors. Sockets for all of these inter-
faces are on the back of the Z-100 (photo 6), making it
easy to have a very neat installation, with all cables out
of sight.
The serial ports conform to the EIA (Electronic In-
dustries Association) RS-232C standard. One is wired
as DTE (data terminal equipment) and the other as DCE
(data communications equipment). Thus, one or the
other should be suitable for cabling to almost any
RS-232C device.
By running a program called Configur, you may set
each serial port to any desired data rate, from 110 to
38,400 bits per second. Configur also lets you designate
odd, even, or no parity; handshaking protocol, if any;
and handshaking pin, if any. Configur is totally menu-
driven and extremely easy to use— it even draws a pic-
ture on the screen, showing the back of the Z-100, with
272 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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thefealu
perffor
I iTSrT^ji CU« > O J.I ml 'OlriJl
Three models to choose from. One for every
requirerhent, every budget— Models 910, 920, 930.
Dual speeds— up to 80 cps for correspondence
and 340 cps for data processing and drafts.
Bidirectional/Logic Seeking.
I Multiple character sizes— to fit every need.
* With true descenders for easier reading and
proportional spacing for better appearance.
Resident and downloadable fonts.
Multilingual — to serve computers around the
F world. With 96 ASCII characters and up to 8
standard languages.
M Dual density graphics— 144x144 dots per inch
for detail, 72x72 for speed— in raster format
with true data compression. Dot addressable.
A Versatile paper handling— up to 6 copies on
f 2W-16" paper. For everything from labels to
really big spread sheets (227 cols.)
AA User lover— quiet (less than 60 dBA),
" easy- change cartridge ribbon, front panel
controls and status indicators, self -diagnostics,
easy interfacing, and ready-anywhere
multi-voltage power supply.
You, too, can become a PRINTEK lover. Call for the
name of your nearest sales representative.
Printek, Inc., Benton Harbor, Ml 49022
616/925-3200 TWX 810-270-3112
1-800-368-4636
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Photo 6: Part of the back panel of the Z-100. Along the bottom are
two serial connectors (both male and female), a parallel printer port,
and a light-pen connector. On the upper right is a brightness control
pr the internal display, just above a connector for an RGB monitor
Note the wealth of cut-outs for optional connectors.
an arrow pointing out the DB-25 connector for the port
you've selected. The only way it could be more user-
friendly is if it had hands coming out of the screen to
plug in your cable for you.
I have connected my Z-100 to a variety of computers,
printers, and other RS-232C devices, both for input and
for output, and have always found the interfacing to be
quick and easy. Would that RS-232C communications
could always be established so readily.
The Z-100 also features a Centronics-compatible paral-
lel port, making it a simple matter to connect the Z-100
to any parallel-interface printer, plotter, or similar device.
A light-pen port is available, but Zenith does not yet
provide a light pen to go with it.
Signals are available for both RGB and composite video
monitors. You can drive both types of monitors at once,
but both will show the same picture; you can't show one
picture on one monitor and a different picture on the
other.
If you need more I/O (input/output) than this, you can
always plug in an S-100 card to provide the number and
type of ports you need.
Software
The Z-100 runs 8-bit CP/M and 16-bit MS-DOS-prob-
ably the two most popular operating systems for today's
personal computers. A powerful version of Microsoft
BASIC is available for each operating system: MBASIC
for CP/M, and ZBASIC for MS-DOS.
ZBASIC is almost identical to BASICA, the most
powerful version of BASIC available for the IBM PC.
They seem to differ only in some of the graphics state-
ments. ZBASIC offers greater resolution and more col-
ors than BASICA, but BASICA offers several screen
"pages," whereas ZBASIC offers only one.
I prefer ZBASIC. With BASICA, you must decide at
the outset whether you want a high-resolution, mono-
chrome display, or a low-resolution, four-color display.
With the Z-100, that decision is unnecessary. All text and
4 Circle 291 on inquiry card.
Compute and print
client tax returns - j
in minutes a
1040
u ^-msM E
on your microcomputer with
MICRO'TAX
That's right, in just minutes you can have a
client's completed tax return in your hand.
Think about it . . .you increase client volume, you increase your profits.
Plus, you save the cost of your computer service bureau— and you have
complete client security.
FEDERAL AND STATE PACKAGES TO MEET EVERY NEED. MICRO-TAX*
offers four Federal tax packages and 25 state packages (fully integrated
with the Level \\ Program), so you can select the programs that best meet
your needs:
Level I— Federal Individual Package: for individuals preparing their own taxes.
Level II— Federal Professional Individual Package: for accountants,
registered agents, tax attorneys, and other tax professionals.
Level III— Federal Partnership/Corporate Package: for those who pre-
pare Federal Partnership, Corporate, and Subchapter S returns.
Level IV— -Overseas Tax Package: addresses the unique tax situations
of United States Expatriates.
Levels II, 111, and IV have a depreciation module and automatically com-
pute underpayment penalties and minimum tax. In addition, Levels II and
III automatically compute self-employment taxes, and Level II computes
income averaging.
FLEXIBLE DATA ENTRY. With MICRO-TAX* you can organize data entry
in a sequence similar to that of manual tax preparation, or you can
choose another sequence. The
menu driven system makes data
entry simple.
MULTIPLE PRINTING OP-
TIONS. You can input client; tax
information at the time of inter-
view and produce forms imme-
diately, or enter data during the
day and baW print returns at
night. MICRO-TAX* prints your
returns on IRS forms, IRS ap-
proved substitute forms, or
with transparent overlays.
TAXNET*— TELETEXT SUP-
PORT NETWORK. MICRO-TAX*
customers can now have access
to an electronic mailbox and
instantaneous memoboard
through the TAXNET*
teletext support network. With TAXNET,* you can send information, ask
questions, get answers and updates— directly through your computer
and a modem.
TAX ORGANIZER. Now MICRO -TAX* offers a Tax Organizer. You get both
the software and the forms, so each year, you can send your clients an
organizer with the prior year's client data printed on it.
HARDWARE COMPATIBILITY. MICRO-TAX* is compatible with your IBM
PC/XT,* DEC Rainbow,* Radio Shack,* or any other personal computer
with CP/M-80, * PC DOS,* or MS DOS* —from
Apple* to Zenith.*
So, take the tedium out of tax preparation— save time and money—
Call Micro-Tax* for complete details,
or call your local dealer.
FULL FEDERAL
MICRO-TAX*
PERSONAL
COMPUTER
SYSTEMS
1983FEDERAL FORMS AND SCHEDULES INCLUDED
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Level 1. Individual
S195.
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Level II, Professional
Individual S1000.
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Level III, Partnership/
Corporate $1000.
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Level IV, Overseas
S2000.
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• AH forms and schedules subject to tinal IRS changes for 1983lax year.
• 25 Integrated state returns available • Orders taken for yearly update packages
• Transparencies: Level I, S150; Levels II, III, IV, S250 each.
'C/PM — Irademark of Digifal Research.
Inc.; DEC Rainbow— trademark of Digital
Equipment Corp.; MICRO-TAX and TAXNET
—trademarks ol Microcomputer Taxsystems.
Inc.; MS DOS — trademark of Microsoft
Corp.; PC DOS. IBM PC. and IBM XT-
trademarks of IBM; Apple — trademark of
Apple Computers; Zenith— trademark of
Heath Company and Zenith Radio Corp.;
Radio Shack— irademark of Tandy Corp.
MICRO-TAX* MICROCOMPUTER TAXSYSTEMS, INC.
6203 Variel Avenue, Suite A Woodland Hills, CA 91367, Dept. 1 B Phone (213) 704-7800
(Area code changes to (818), effective January 1984)
Circle 253 on inquiry card.
YOU CAN'T
FIGHT STATIC
SITTING DOWN.
Static electricity exists everywhere in an office
environment — it's not just confined to a few square
feet around a CRT. And when you consider that some-
one casually walking past a terminal can generate
enough charges to trigger a major malfunction,
it's clear that a small anti-static mat is hopelessly
ineffective in protecting sensitive computers.
The solution is Staticide® Unlike bulky mats,
which can be unwelcome in a smartly-decorated
office setting, Staticide provides an invisible barrier
against static — a shield that remains in effect for up to
six months with a single application. And while mats
can cost hundreds, a quart of Staticide is only a few
dollars. What's more, now you could wipe out static
and dust attraction on CRT screens and keyboards
with new Staticide® Wipes™
Staticide from ACL When
you compare it against anti-
static mats, the results will
floor you.
Staticide
by ACL Incorporated
^m 1 960 East Devon Ave.
Mm Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
mWm (312)981-9212,TELEX:4330251
Circle 10 on inquiry card.
Staticide
^KJtes Static Ot.>cinctv .■
^ L~* ytmcoft - on wo ™*~
! '"-■* pome** '-
,W5**
*^!2SS? Dyl.odmg •»«•'** i
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**►«... WARHIMOI JM
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" ft!* C0M«W« ^ °^.tS
We offer no static
to our customers.
graphics are displayed in high-resolution mode. There
is no need to issue a SCREEN statement to configure
the screen; you may PRINT, DRAW, PAINT, or create a
LINE in any of eight colors at any time.
With the exception of the graphics and certain
parameters used in opening RS-232C ports, B ASICA and
ZBASIC seem to be identical. Almost any program writ-
ten in BASIC for the PC should run on the Z-100, with
little or no modification. (Of course, if it uses PEEKS,
POKES, CALLS, and USR functions, all bets are off.)
Nonetheless, you cannot simply take a disk that has an
IBM PC BASIC program, insert it into a Z-100, and run
it. It won't work, and when you list the program, it won't
look right. Why not?
The answer has to do with the way each version of
BASIC tokenizes a BASIC program. (A token is a byte
used by the BASIC interpreter to represent a keyword.
Tokenizing a BASIC program makes it take up much less
space in memory or on disk.) A program in memory is
always tokenized.
When you save a program on disk, it is normally saved
in tokenized form. But BASICA and ZBASIC use dif-
ferent tokens to represent the same keywords. For ex-
ample, BASICA might use the token $8A to represent
the keyword PRINT, while ZBASIC might use the token
$A2 to represent the same keyword. If you save a
BASICA program in tokenized form and then load it in-
to the Z-100, ZBASIC will interpret it as a different pro-
gram. Every PRINT statement, for example, might be in-
terpreted as a GOTO. No wonder the program won't run.
Fortunately, there is a simple solution. To transfer an
IBM PC program to the Z-100, first save it in ASCII
(American National Standard Code for Information In-
terchange) format. (A program saved in ASCII format
has all keywords spelled out; they are not represented
by tokens.) To save a program in ASCII format, use the
optional argument [,A] like this:
SAVE "PROGRAM.BAS",A
Now you can take the disk over to a Z-100 and load the
program. ZBASIC will interpret every PRINT statement
as a PRINT statement and will correctly interpret all other
keywords as well. Then if the program doesn't run im-
mediately, it should be a relatively simple matter to
modify it to make it run.
What about applications programs? Some of the most
popular applications for the IBM PC are already available
for the Z-100: 1-2-3, Multiplan, Wordstar, and Peachtext
5000, to name a few. And as new products are an-
nounced for the PC, their developers often state the in-
tention of bringing out a version for the Z-100. However,
the Z-100 is not totally PC-compatible, so don't expect
any arbitrary PC application to run on the Z-100 right
out of the box. Some will, some won't. That's probably
the most frustrating thing about the Z-100. 1 think it's a
better machine than the PC, but sometimes I just wish
it were a PC, so I wouldn't have to wonder about its abili-
ty to run PC applications.
PIECE
OF
MIND
CompuPro's System 816.
The fastest, most cooperative computer you can buy.
OEMs and systems integrators are busy
people. Too busy to waste time with an
uncooperative computer system.
That's why every System 816 from
CompuPro is built to work long
and hard without a whine or
a whimper.
More Dependable.
With ten years of pioneering
successes built into it. the
System 816 is backed by the
industry's longest warranty
coverage. Depending on your
needs, our warranties range from
12 to 36 months. Most other
computer manufacturers expect
you to be satisfied with 90 days,
which typically covers parts only.
You can also depend on
complete hardware and software
support, flexible configurations and upgrades, and
system training.
More Powerful.
The System 816 squeezes more performance out of the
IEEE-696/S-100 bus than any other system you can buy.
A choice of CPUs— and up to 4 Mbytes of our exclusive
M-Drive/H™ RAM disk— give multiple workstations all
the speed and power they can ask for. Standard RAM
memory is expandable to one megabyte or more.
Disk storage capacity ranges up to 4.8 Mbytes on
floppy drives and as much as 320 Mbytes per controller
on hard disk.
CompuPro.
A GODBOUT COMPANY
3506 Breakwater Court, Hayward, CA 94545
CP/M and CP/M-86 are registered trademarks and CP/M-68K. MP/M-86. Concurrent
CP/M-86 and FORTRAN 77 are trademarks of Digital Research Inc. CP/M 8-16 and
MP/M 8-16 are compound trademarks of Digital Research Inc. and CompuPro.
For dealer locations, see page 389
More Versatile.
All family members share a common
modular architecture. So it's a
simple matter to upgrade or
reconfigure any of them to keep
up with your needs. All the while
maintaining complete software
compatibility up and down the line.
And the S-100 bus allows you
the flexibility to plug in any
compatible board to add graphics
capabilities or boards for your
own unique applications.
You also get your choice of
operating environments, including
CP/M® CP/M-86® Concurrent
CP/M-86™. MP/M-86™ and
CP/M-68K™, and our own
CP/M®8-16™ and MP/M™8-16™.
At the programming level, the
System 816 family supports Pascal. C. FORTH, BASIC.
COBOL, PL/1, FORTRAN 77 m and more.
More Information.
Your customers satisfaction is important to both of us,
so don't get stuck with a system that's more of a
hindrance than a help. Send in the coupon and find out
what peace of mind is all about.
For business, scientific and industrial computing
solutions, call (415) 786-0909 ext. 506 for the location of
our dealers worldwide, or the Full Service CompuPro
System Center nearest you.
CH Send me your free System 816 brochure.
D Send me the name of my nearest Full Service
CompuPro System Center or dealer:
NAME
TITLE
ADDRESS
CITY STATE ZIP
Mail to: CompuPro. Attn: Sales Dept.
3506 Breakwater Court. Hayward. CA 94545
Prices and specifications subject to change without notice.
System 816 front panel design shown is available from Full Service CompuPro
System Centers only. ©1983C0MPUPR0
Circle 83 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 277
IT'S SIMPLE
CALL & SAVE MONEY!
1-800-841-0860
TELEMARKETING COMPUTERS AND
EQUIPMENT TO SAVE YOU MONEY
SINCE 1978
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ON COMPLETE LINE
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WE SELL IBM P.C. COMPATIBLES
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• PIONEER IN DIRECT TO
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• NAME BRAND PRODUCTS
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• COPY OF MFR'S WARRANTY
• PRICES AND PRODUCTS ARE
SUBJECT TO CHANGE
WITHOUT NOTICE
<M
Micro Management
Systems, Inc.
2803 Thomasville Road East
Cairo, Georgia 31728 ,,
(912) 377-7120 ft 1
Documentation
The documentation provided with the Z-100 is com-
plete and easy to use. It is also voluminous. Printed on
8V2- by 11-inch card stock and bound in a vinyl-clad
3-ring binder, each manual outweighs a typical lap
computer— and a complete system may well include 10
manuals. (The Z-100 itself comes with a 278-page User's
Manual and each software product comes with one or
two volumes of ring-bound documentation.) If you get
a Z-100 with two operating systems, two versions of
BASIC, and Multiplan (a standard software bundle),
you'll need a bookshelf just for your system's manuals.
And a strong bookshelf, at that.
The User's Manual includes many pictures identifying
the parts of the system and step-by-step instructions
showing the novice how to get the system up and run-
ning. The CP/M guide is the best-organized book I have
come across on how to use CP/M. Every manual features
a table of contents and an index: both are complete and
detailed.
Technical Support
When I needed information that I couldn't find in the
manuals, I called Zenith's Software Consultation Group.
Their performance was excellent. Even when my ques-
tions were extremely technical, they managed to give me
prompt and accurate answers. Their phone number is
printed on the inside of each manual. (No, it's not an
800 number— but the quality of support available at that
number is worth far more than the price of the call.
Without it, some of my most important applications
would never have run on the Z-100.)
Conclusions
The Z-100 is a powerful and reliable system that runs
both CP/M and MS-DOS. In many ways it is IBM PC-
compatible, but it is not a PC clone and cannot run all
PC software. On the other hand, its keyboard and graph-
ics are clearly superior to the PC's.
The Z-100 features sufficient I/O for most applications,
and further I/O can be provided via its S-100 bus. Its
documentation is excellent and backed up by profes-
sional technical support. Quality control in the hard-
ware, software, and documentation is superb. The sys-
tem delivers exactly what you expect and offers no
unpleasant surprises.
How could it be improved? A diamond-shaped cur-
sor pad would help. So would the ability for CP/M-85
to read and write a variety of 5 Vi -inch disk formats. And
although Z-DOS has a utility that can read CP/M files,
it can't write them. So I'd like to see a Z-DOS utility that
can copy Z-DOS data and text files to CP/M disks.
The bottom line? If you want a well-designed, well-
built, well-documented system that runs the best of
8-bit and 16-bit worlds, consider the Zenith Z-100. ■
Ken Skier (28 Fairlawn Lane, Lexington, MA 02173) is an author and soft-
ware developer whose credits include the Skiwriter word pmcessor, nozo
distributed with the Epson Notebook computer.
278 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 246 on inquiry card.
THE MOST OUTSTANDING MULTIPROCESSOR, MULTIUSER ORCHESTRA.
PERFORMING ARTS
of COMPUTER SCIENCE
We are the
Performance Leader.
Our Duet Product (MCM* 80 and DCM*80), installed in
thousands of multi-processor multi-user systems as well
as in single user systems worldwide, certifies our field-
proven performance. Our state-of-the-art products, first
and best, have been soundly accepted by the various in-
stitutes, from the government to the universities, and
utilized by the various applications, from office auto-
mation to control automation. Our product superiority
is recognized for the following reasons.
Identical Master/ Slave SBC (Single
Board Computer) architecture results in a prime
advantage, never letting the entire system down. Not
only that, the master/slave status is programmable, so
it is truly possible to build redundancy in a
multiprocessor system.
Unlimited Expandability differentiates our pro-
ducts from other multiproces-
sor based systems
which are bound
to the networking
limitation. Our
TURBODOS im-
plementation on-
multiple net-
works, which
connect multiple
multiprocessor
systems, matches
the capacity of a
mainframe, thus surpassing the mini computers.
Low Cost Local Area Networking has
always been a subject but never a solution. Our ap-
proach to the LAN of SBCs, with integrated LAN con-
CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research, Inc.
TURBODOS is a trademark of Software 2000, Inc.
g. I SW3J.SAS or •
trol thru the high speed and reliable IPC (Inter-
Processor Channel), provides an ultimate low cost solu-
tion for each computing station in a network.
Superior S-100 board Products are the key
to superior system products. We now provide two pro-
minent single board computers: MCM*80, based on
Z80 (4 MHz, 6 MHz, or 8 MHz) processor family, and
MCM*186 based on 80186 (8 MHz) processor. There
are two disk controller products, DCM*80 and
DCM*80 II. DCM*80 is the first disk controller to in-
tegrate the floppy disk
controller and the SASI '
(ANSI SCSI) hard disk
host adapter in one
board. DCM*80 II is
DCM*80 plus 8K ': -
Track Buffer with on-
board DMA for
high performance.
Our RAM* 80 is the first memory board
which has quad-mode capability. It works
not only as an 8-bit and 16-bit memory
board, but also as a memory disk board.
LINK* 80 is an intelligent I/O board designed
for high performance foreground processing
capability with on board processor (Z80 A)
I | and memory buffer.
• JC SYSTEM
469 Valley Way
= =r= _ Milpitas, CA 95035
E ■ 408/945-0318 TWX 910-381-7041
JC Systems products are available worldwide thru 60 dealer bases
which are growing continually. All of our products are serviced
factory-direct or by our dealers. We maintain highly confident
technical support, both in the hardware and software products,
CP/M and TURBODOS.
Circle 197 on inquiry card
INTRODUCING A SPINWRITER
FOR EVERYONE WHO THOUGHT
THEY C0ULDN1 AFFORD A
SPINWRITER.
Spinwriter 2000 gives
you famous Spinwriter
features, quality and
reliability for a new
low price.
The newest
Spinwriter prints at
200 words per minute.
Spinwriter is the
letter-quality printer
Our new preferred by more PC
Spinwriter® 2000 owners.
retails for only $1095 . The Spinwriter name is one
And prints at 200 words per of the legends of the
minute. computer industry.
Even though the That's why NEC
Spinwriter 2000 Series costs Information Systems is
less, they are nothing less the number one supplier
than true Spinwriters. The of letter-quality printers
2000 offers the same su~ to PC users,
perior quality and reliability In fact many famous
personal computer
makers recommend
as the rest of the family.
So if low- volume, letter-
quality printing is what you the Spinwriter, not
need, the Spinwriter 2000 is only for letter-quality
letter-perfect for you. And printing, but because
your budget.
Now, for about the same price as
an ordinary printer, you can have
a letter-quality Spinwriter.
it can bring out the
full capabilities of
their system.
SPINWRITER IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARKOF NEC CORPORATION
Spinwriter has capa-
bilities you can't get on
other printers.
Spinwriter's unique
"thimble" print head gives
you impeccable printing.
You can choose
from over 60
different
Our unique "thimble" print head holds up
to 128 characters, enough for any special
need.
type faces with up to 128
characters. And even have
two type faces, or scientific
and arithmetic symbols on
the same thimble.
The 2000 also lets you
change forms handlers
quickly and easily. Seven
NEC-built forms
handlers give a
custom look to all of your
forms-oriented applications.
Which means you can shift
from word processing to
billing, shipping or inven-
tory control in moments.
Want to send an original
letter to a few hundred cus-
tomers? Our sheetf eeder
mechanism handles
printing on your
letterhead and
second page or
envelope.
Other Spinwriter
advantages include
continuous forms
handlers that take
paper up to 16 inches
wide, variable size
forms and multi-part
forms.
Every Spinwriter is
built to work as hard as
you do.
Spinwriters have long been
known for their reliability.
Five years without a failure
is not unusual. Which is
twice as good as any other
printer.
That's not to say that
someday you won't need a
little service. Not
only will you find it
nearby, you'll find
it fast. NEC-trained
experts can repair
The 2000 plugs
directly into your
PC's printer port.
Now offices with
limited budgets
don't have to
settle for less
of a printer.
a Spinwriter in less than
20 minutes.
For the Spinwriter dis-
tributor nearest you, call
1-800-343-4418 (in
Massachusetts call
617-264-8635). And find out
why more and more PC
users are saying "NEC
and me."
NEC Information
Systems, Inc.
1414 Massachusetts Ave.
Boxborough, MA 01719
Circle 265 on inquiry card.
Software Review
Pinball Construction Set
Build your own pinball game on
an Apple II, Atari 400/800/1200, or Commodore 64
by Elaine Holden
Photo 1: The title picture for the Pinball Construction Set. This is an example of the type of graphics a player can create. Note that this
software was originally published by Budge Company but is now also available from Electronic Arts.
282 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Photo 2: Astro Blast, one of the demo games that come with the
system and are ready to play.
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Photo 3: A pinball game being constructed. Note the menu of game
parts on the right half of the screen and the column of icons along
the right edge of the screen.
Attention, pinball wizards! As you well know, those
big arcade machines with flashing lights and ringing
bells have long been a fascination to those of us wishing
to exhibit skill, dexterity, and some evidence of a mis-
spent childhood. Now, thanks to the Pinball Construc-
tion Set from Electronic Arts (photo 1), not only can you
play pinball in the comfort of your own home, you can
also design your own pinball game. Other pinball-simu-
lation games have been available for some time now, but
this is one of the first games that lets you build other
games.
If you need a game fix immediately after purchase, you
can just boot the disk and play one of the five demonstra-
tion pinball games available (see photo 2). They are set
up for as many as four players, so you can play alone
or with friends. After this initial introduction, and once
rational thinking has returned, you can reach for the
user's guide and discover how much more exciting this
construction set can be.
Building a Dream Game
One of my fantasies as a pinball player has always been
to build my own game— one to suit my mood. At times
I want the toughest challenge going, but once in a while
I like a real pushover, and sometimes I even like an
honest game. The variety of my requirements is endless,
but, until now, the variety of available pinball games was
not.
With the Pinball Construction Set, I can make any
game I want, save all my quarters, and exercise my
creativity at the same time. This game enables a com-
plete novice to put together a worthwhile beginning
game, gain experience, and later devise a devilishly
tough, highly competitive game.
Just as in any construction kit, all parts are provided.
Each piece of the pinball game is represented by a pic-
ture. These pieces can be placed anywhere on the empty
pinball board (photo 3). All parts are activated and
dragged onto the board by a movable hand symbol. This
symbol, as well as everything else in the game, is con-
trolled by the joystick.
The Hand is one of a number of icons (pictures) that
represent the various functions the program can per-
form. For example, you work with an icon that looks like
a disk to save or load a game. These icons make it easy
for a beginner to use the program.
If you want a different shape for a game board, the
Arrow, Scissors, and Hammer icons can create and
change solid shapes. These are very powerful commands
because you can change not only basic shapes within
the game's parameters but also the actual shape of the
board. (Traditional arcade pinball games, of course, do
not offer this option, and I've become bored with the
same rectangular shape.) My favorite game creation so
far has a pentagonal shape with lots of bumpers and few
flippers.
Lest you imagine that the various shapes and games
must remain the same color, take heart. A Paintbrush
icon instantly changes the color of the game border or
the shapes within. (For small shapes there is even a
Magnifier icon). If you have a particularly nasty streak,
when constructing a game for friends, you can paint over
a bumper or other pinball part. It will still be there, you
understand, it just won't be visible. To carry this trick
one step further, you can paint in what looks like a
bumper or paddle, and when the ball falls through the
fake part, watch your opponent's face drop.
I also enjoyed personalizing my game with fancy
decorations and a nifty title. For this I used the Magnifier
icon (photo 4). It takes a little time and patience to perfect
this icon's uses. Seeing a part of the screen magnified
seven times its usual size takes some getting used to.
Persistence is rewarded, however, by some really fine
designs and lettering.
I had everything I needed for the perfect pinball game
at this point— or so I thought. Then I turned the page
of my manual and found the World icon. This feature
gives four scales which change the conditions of the ball.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 283
Gravity determines the weight of the ball; Speed governs
how fast the ball moves; Kick is the strength of the
bumpers; and Elasticity reflects how much bounce is
wanted in the game.
The last icon worthy of note is the And gate. An And
gate in computer science is a switch arrangement that
permits an electrical flow only if all switches in the gate
are on. The And gate in the Pinball Construction Set,
functioning along the same principle, lets you record a
bonus only if all the targets you have hooked together
have been hit and turned on. Pretty fancy stuff. This icon
also lets you change score values and sound. You can
even have the beloved sounds of bells and whistles right
at home.
Something for Everyone
I found this to be an incredibly complete kit. Bill
Budge, the creator of this package, has a marvelous sense
of programming. From the standpoint of an instructor
of computer programming, I can only say, "Wow! I wish
I wrote that." From the basic concept to the refined
details, this is indeed a classy game.
The crowning feature of the Pinball Construction Set
is its simplicity. A novice or young child can play a demo
game to learn pinball basics. Nevertheless, for adult or
child, it needn't remain just a game. Players can exer-
cise creativity with color, shape, sound, relativity of
weight and speed, and detail, all with this one program.
As expertise increases so does the quality of the games
created. Moving at the individual's pace, this non-
At a Glance
Name
Pinball Construction Set
Type
Software to play and/or construct a variety of pinball
simulation games
Publisher
Electronic Arts
2755 Campus Dr.
San Mateo, CA 94403
(415) 571-7171
Price
S40
Atari 400/800/1200 or
Format
5/4 -inch floppy disk in Apple
Commodore 64 formats
Documentation
13-page users guide
Computer Needed
Apple II. Atari 400/800/1200, or Commodore 64; joystick
required
Audience
Ages 10 and up: pinball lovers, game players, creative people,
and teachers of gifted and talented children
'■'•ranf-ftf
Photo 4: An example of how the Magnifier icon is used. The figure
on the right is a seven-times magnification of the apple in the upper-
right comer of the game board.
threatening program records work done and provides
for easy correction and alteration.
Despite this simplicity, sophisticated adult players will
also be impressed with the game. It can be difficult
enough for even the most advanced player because of
the challenge and endless variety of modifications,
refinements, and degrees of difficulty available. I predict
that this program will be a continuing favorite in many
personal game libraries.
I should note that you can also use this program to
make gifts for gaming friends. Pinball games of your own
creation can be put on blank disks and given away. You
can design each game with the recipient in mind, and
since up to 128 parts can be on the board at once, hard-
core pinball players should remain fascinated for a long
time.
Conclusions
It's really hard to find anything wrong with this game.
The concept is well designed and executed. The instruc-
tions needed to begin the game are minimal, and game
playing is immediate and, in the case of novices, instruc-
tional. Experienced players can gain valuable tips from
the more difficult samples such as DEM04 and DEM05
(which illustrate some common obstacles such as a cor-
ner of the game where a ball could get stuck).
Creativity is encouraged. At the same time, players are
not threatened or intimidated by either the screen
display or the user's guide. Rather, they are gently en-
couraged and aided. This is valuable for children and
inexperienced players and computer users.
I certainly feel that the Pinball Construction Set is
valuable both as a learning and creating tool and as a
truly entertaining game.B
Elaine Holden is the supervisor of reading and language arts for the Mer-
rimack, New Hampshire, School District. She can be reached at 22 Elm Street,
Peterborough, NH 03458.
284 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 321 on inquiry card.
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DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY
ON AWORKSTATION
DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM.
As you conduct your search for the ideal data
acquisition system, we think you'll find a number of
capable systems, all from fine makers.
But we also think you'll find this: there is really
only one system likely to meet, and perhaps exceed,
your own personal standards for accuracy, flexibility,
performance and power. And do so for a bottom line
investment that is truly easy to justify.
That system is the Keithley DAS Series 500 for the
IBM PC and Apple II families of microcomputers.
To begin with, even a basic Series 500 configura-
tion, like the one shown in the chart, comes out of its
carton with enough power and capacity for most lab
and test bench applications. So you needn't trade up
to more expensive options to get basic capabilities.
And because the Series 500 is completely modular,
you can start out with just the capacity you need.
Then choose from our comprehensive library of plug-
in function cards to instantly reconfigure your system
for the most demanding applications -with up to
272 channels of discrete analog input, 50 channels of
analog output, 160 channels of digital I/O, and AC/DC
device control. With direct transducer connection
and signal conditioning for each individual channel.
It's also the only system equipped with Sof t500,
the integrated measurement and control software
that proves once and for all that easy doesn't have to
mean simple.
Sof t500 gives first time users the accessibility and
friendliness they need to get excellent results the first
time out. Yet it also provides experienced users with
the depth and extended facilities needed for complex
applications. Including unique features such as
foreground/background architecture, powerful screen
graphics and statistical analyses. Plus, automatic con-
version of binary data to familiar engineering units.
In all, you'JJ find the features you need to make the
Series 500 increasingly productive through years of
new and more demanding applications.
1 KciJhlcv
DAS
Series 500
ISAAC
91A
ISAAC
2000
MACSYM
200
HP
3497A
System Base
$4300H)
S3950
S4100
$3660
S2990
Analog Input
16 Channels
Yes
Yes
+ S850
+ $362(2)
+ $2104(3)
Instrumentation Amplifier
Yes
+ $700
+ $700
Yes
Yes
±0.035% Absolute
System Accuracy
Yes
+ SI 100W
+ $1100(4)
No
Yes(5)
30 kHz Sampling
Yes®
No
Yes(7)
Yes
No
High Speed
Programablc Ranges
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
Other I/O
5 12-Bit Voltage Outputs
Yes
+ $187(»)
+ $937(9)
+ $937W
+ $2500dO)
16 Digital Inputs
Yes
Yes
+ $175(ii)
+ $330
+ $530
16 Digital Outputs
Yes
Yes
+ $175(H)
+ $350
+ S710
4 120V AC Outputs
Yes
No
No
+ $638d2)
+ $265(13)
Programable Timers
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
+ $555
Realtime Clock
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Power Supply
Yes
+$350
Yes
Yes
Yes
Software System
Data Acquisition BASIC
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Foreground/Background
Yes
No
YesU4)
Yesd4)
No
Data Analysis
Yes
No
No
No
No
Realtime Graphing
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Engineering Units
Yes
No
No
No
No
Package Price
$4300
$6287
$8037
$6277
$9654
I, System 520. 2. 16 channeisof$725 32 channel card. 3. $1640 A/D card plusl6channelsofS580 20 channel
card. 4. ±0.003%accuracy(u 200Hz. 5. ± 0.006% accuracy (a 40Hz. 6. Applesystem27kHz,IBAl
system 31.4kHz. 7. 200kHz option available +$3825. 8. I channel from $750 4 channel card. 9. 5channels
from$7504channelcard. 10. 5 channels from $1000 2 channel card. 11. 16 channels of$350 32 channel
card. 12. Pricebased on 16 channel rack (f $550 plus 4 ACoutput relays (u $22. 13. Four channelsof $525
8channelcard. 14. Or other multi-taskingstructure.
Naturally, we'd like to suggest the Series 500 as the
wisest choice in workstation data acquisition. But we
also believe that as you compare and examine the
facts, the Series 500 will eventually suggest itself.
For complete information on the Keithley DAS
Series 500 workstation data acquisition system, call
us toll-free at 1-800-552-1115. In Massachusetts call
(617) 423-7691. Or write to us at Keithley DAS,
349 Congress Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210.
SERES 500
> t _ -;.-:;.;- ^ _ ^
A ]OINTVENTURE IN WORKSTATION DATA ACQUISITION
Information contained in the comparison chart is correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 1. 1983; however, Keithley DAS assumes no liability for its accuracy. IBM PC is a registered
trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Apple 1 1 is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. ISAAC is a registered trademark of Cyborg Corporation. MACSYM is a
registered trademark of Analog Devices, Inc. HP is a registered trademark of Hewlett-Packard, Inc. © 1983 by Keithley DAS, Boston, Massachusetts
Circle 123 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 287
Hardware Review
The TRS-80 Model 16B with Xenix
by Steve Barry and Randy Jacobson
The Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 16B is surprising in
at least two ways: first, it appeared later than the com-
pany's announcements would have indicated, and sec-
ond, it has an industry-standard multiuser operating sys-
tem—Microsoft's Xenix, a derivative of Bell Laboratories'
Unix version 7. The Model 16B's Xenix capability is re-
markable in that it represents the first use of an outside
supplier's operating system in Radio Shack's history. This
event is of even more interest because Xenix is to be sup-
plied for several other popular microcomputers.
In this review we'll first present an overview of the
16B's hardware and capabilities, and, because the hard-
ware's effectiveness depends on its ability to run Xenix,
we'll also cover that operating system's major features.
The TRS-80 Model 16B is a blend of the old and the
new. It is based on a dual-processor architecture
(Motorola 68000 and Zilog Z80), and it runs as either a
single-user or a multiuser computer. The machine is par-
ticularly significant because it has most of the hardware
features available on other machines in the $5000 to
$16,000 price bracket, and it has the support of an in-
dustry powerhouse behind it. Although not innovative
in concept, the 16B is more than just a solid high-end
engine for Radio Shack's software. The computer per-
forms well for its class of machine and is likely to be a
major focus of software houses trying to take advantage
of Radio Shack's marketing clout and Xenix program
portability. The 16B is compatible with an extensive line
of Radio Shack peripheral hardware, and there is also
a strong indication that the Model 16B will be a central
element in Radio Shack's announced but unmarketed
local-area-network (LAN) strategy. Indeed, with its LAN-
capability option, the system could become the backbone
of an expandable, low-cost, office-wide, multimodel,
shared-computer resource.
Background
Starting about a year ago, rumors of Radio Shack's new
high-end machine piqued the curiosity of many enthu-
siasts. The computer was supposed to be a powerful yet
inexpensive multiuser machine that employed a pro-
prietary operating system said to be incompatible with
the software available on widely distributed multiuser
operating systems such as MP/M. When the machine
failed to materialize, rumors said its delay was due to
myriad hardware and software problems.
In spite of its uncertain beginnings, the Radio Shack
TRS-80 Model 16B has hit that all important and all too
narrow marketing "window," defined by public accep-
tance of a combination of price, performance, and fea-
tures. Once such a window is filled by a few machines,
other manufacturers find it difficult to penetrate the
market. The target market for this machine is the small
business that requires a one-source supplier of multiuser
turnkey hardware, software, and service for core
business applications. However, the 16B can also serve
as a small Unix and Xenix development environment.
Photo 1: The TRS-80 Model 16B standard system.
288 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Photo 2: The 86-key detachable keyboard of the 16B.
System Summary
The Model 16B (photo 1) runs a large library of single-
user software. Moreover, it has multiuser capabilities,
and significant multiuser software has become available
early in the machine's life (see the At a Glance box).
A minimum three-user system consists of the console
with 384K bytes of memory, one 1.25-megabyte 8-inch
floppy-disk drive, an 11.6-megabyte hard-disk drive, two
user terminals, a printer, and software. The system con-
sole has a detached 86-key keyboard (photo 2). The key-
tops are textured to avoid glare. The standard alphabet,
number, and symbol keys and the numeric keypad keys
are black with white legends. Other keys— including
Shift, Tab, Break, Backspace, eight function keys, and
the cursor keys— are white with black legends. A bump
is placed on the numeric pad's 5 key to aid manual orien-
tation for touch-typing. Cursor keys are arranged
(awkwardly, in our opinion) in a vertical column on the
left border of the numeric pad. Key tops are slightly
longer vertically than horizontally and have dual-spring
action so that the touch is heavier at the bottom of the
key travel, but there is no other auditory or tactile feed-
back for key-switch closure. We felt that the keyboard
touch was vague, and this prevented rapid typing dur-
ing our limited use of the machine. Function keys sur-
round the upper and right side of the numeric keypad.
Control keys (such as Return, Tab, Enter, and Shift) that
are either the same size or even larger at the base than
the character keys have the same raised striking area as
an alphanumeric key. Two important symbols for Unix
users and programmers can be produced only by press-
ing Control and another key simultaneously. These sym-
bols are | (for the pipe feature) and \ , used primarily
in C-language programming.
The system is housed in a large but attractive integrated
enclosure containing a seven-slot system card cage, the
floppy-disk drive, the console video display (a 12-inch-
Editor's Note: Since this article was written, Radio Shack has announced
a new standard configuration for the Model 16B: a 256K-byte system with
one 8-inch floppy-disk drive and a built-in 15-megabyte hard-disk drive for
$6999.
Photo 3: The Model 16B's card cage.
At a Glance
Name
TRS-80 Model 16B Computer
Manufacturer
Radio Shack Division
Tandy Corporation
1300 One Tandy Center
Fort Worth, TX 76102
Size
14 by 21/4 by 23/2 inches
Weight
Approximately 50 pounds
Components
Processors:
Memory:
Display:
Keyboard:
Data Storage:
Expansion:
Motorola 68000 running at 6 MHz, Z80A running
at 4 MHz
Z80A with 64K bytes; M68000 with 256K bytes
minimum, 768K bytes maximum (128K-byte
memory-expansion board is S699, 128K-byte add-
on-chip kit is S299)
24 lines by 80 columns, green phosphor,
brightness and contrast controls, upper- and
lowercase characters, 32 symbol graphics
characters
Detached 86-key stepped keyboard with 6-foot
coiled cord; keytops are textured to avoid glare
One 8-inch double-sided double-density
1/4 -megabyte floppy-disk drive installed in the
console
Seven-slot card cage; three slots are free in a 512K-
byte system with a 12-megabyte hard-disk drive
Operating Systems
TRSDOS-ll/16 (single user), TRSDOS-12 (single user), TRS-Xenix
(multiuser)
Documentation
TRS-80 Model I6B Operator's Manual, 100 pages; TRSDOS-II
Reference Manual, 326 pages; TRS-Xenix Operations Guide, 161
pages; TRS-80 Model I6B Owner's Manual (actually the
TRSDOS-16 Operating System Manual), 256 pages; Twelve-
megabyte Hard Disk Owner's Manual, 50 pages; BASIC Reference
Manual (TRSDOS with BASIC interpreter), 235 pages;
Assembler-16 Manual, 353 pages
Software Available
TRS-Xenix multiuser software: General Ledger ($599); Payroll
(S699); Accounts Receivable ($599); Accounts Payable (S599);
Order Entry/Inventory Control System ($599); Sales Analysis
($399); Job Costing ($199); Multiplan spreadsheet ($349);
COBOL Development System ($699); BASIC interpreter (S299);
and TRS-Xenix Development System with C language, electronic
mail, text processing, and Xenix utilities and Assembler-16 ($750).
The Model 16B also uses Model II and Model 12 software in the
Model II compatibility mode (single user)
Optional Features
Second internal 8-inch floppy-disk drive ($ 799); one ($ 1299) or
two ($2098) external floppy-disk drives; 11.6-megabyte primary
hard-disk drive ($3495); 12-megabyte secondary hard-disk drives
(three maximum, $2495 each); graphics video adapter board
(monochrome 640- by 240-pixel resolution, $499); DT-1 data
terminals (two maximum, $699 each)
Prices
256K bytes, one floppy-disk drive: $4999
256K bytes, two floppy-disk drives: $5798
384K bytes, one floppy-disk drive, one 11.6-megabyte hard-disk
drive: $9995
512K bytes, one floppy-disk drive, one 11.6-megabyte hard-disk
drive (minimum recommended Xenix configuration): $10,294
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 289
diagonal green-phosphor tube without antireflection
treatment), the Motorola 68000 processor board, a mem-
ory board, and the hard-disk interface. This configura-
tion costs in the neighborhood of $16,000, complete with
a top-of-the-line Radio Shack letter-quality printer and
a complement of multiuser accounting and core busi-
ness-applications programs. Moderate-resolution (640-
by 240-pixel) monochrome-video-graphics hardware is
an option for the console terminal but is not yet sup-
ported by Xenix software.
Software
The optional single-user software library includes all
TRS-80 Model II and 12 programs (nearly 50 from Radio
Shack), each targeted at a broad base of business and
professional users. The optional multiuser software
library is, at this writing, confined to program-develop-
ment software (available at additional cost; see At a
Glance), "big four" accounting packages (General
Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Payroll),
and Microsoft's Multiplan advanced spreadsheet. Other
software includes an order-entry/inventory-control
system, sales analysis, and small-contractor job-costing
programs. COBOL and BASIC languages are sold sepa-
rately, as is the TRS-Xenix development system, which
includes many utilities, the C language, Unix-style com-
munications, Unix-style text processing (not word pro-
cessing in the usual sense), and Unix's basic electronic-
mail facilities.
Hardware
The TRS-80 Model 16B has two serial RS-232C ports,
a parallel printer port, and a space on the connector
panel reserved for the Datapoint/Radio Shack Arcnet
LAN interface. In its current configuration, then, the sys-
tem can handle only three users: two working on dumb
terminals, such as Radio Shack's model DTI, and a third
working on the system console. The system card cage
has space for seven cards. The maximum RAM (random-
access read/write memory) allowable currently is 768K
bytes, which is obtained using the M68000 micropro-
cessor's on-board memory and two 256K-byte cards. The
64K bytes of Z80 memory are on a separate card below
the card cage (photo 3) in the base of the system unit.
The M68000 memory cards are connected to the pro-
cessor board by two card-edge ribbon cables in a bus con- •
figuration, in addition to their interface to the mother-
board. One card slot is used for the hard-disk interface,
and another is used for the console terminal electronics.
Two slots are unused in the configuration we tested. Re-
cent rumors suggest that Radio Shack is planning to an-
nounce a six-port terminal multiplexer board, along with
a 15-megabyte hard-disk drive. The multiplexer and an
Arcnet board would fill the card cage and, according to
our system-performance evaluations, provide enough in-
terfaces to cause severe response delays for a full load
of users. It is possible that this machine could support
only two to four users in a program-development en-
vironment, if our previous experience with similar hard-
ware applies to this machine. In fact, with only 384K
bytes of memory (one advertised "complete" configura-
tion), Xenix may even be noticeably slow with three
users. However, the three-user configuration with 512K
or 784K bytes of memory is clearly supported and seems
to make the most sense in terms of the speed of the oper-
ating system and the memory-segmentation scheme that
is implemented.
Local-Area Networking
For larger groups of users, the Arcnet board might be
used to interconnect clusters of three users per Model
16B (i.e., a distributed-star network). As a user, you
would have access to the 16B to which your terminal is
connected and would also have read and/or write access
to programs and data for which you have authorization
on other 16Bs connected to the network. Typically, in
other Unix systems (although there is no official indica-
tion that Radio Shack will go this way), networking
means you run a program at your terminal that lets you
log onto the desired remote system via the physical net-
work facilities. You may then do work on the remote sys-
tem or transport programs and data back to the system
to which your terminal is directly connected. You must
have a user account on each networked Unix system that
you want to use. Thus, you may have several accounts
on several different machines in the office, and it is pos-
sible that none of the accounts would have all of the up-
to-date information you desire to use in a particular work
session. This network architecture itself promotes redun-
dant storage of data on several systems. The software for
this type of network access is standard Unix fare: uucp
is the Unix-to-Unix copy program (used for file trans-
port and intersystem mail), and cu is the call-Unix pro-
gram (used to establish a logical user connection over
a preexisting physical connection between systems). The
cu program lets you log onto the desired system as
though your terminal were directly connected to that sys-
tem. The cu program also allows file transport back to
your actual host system. Xenix appears to have the stan-
dard Unix networking described above. This is good, but
things can get much better.
In contrast, consider two alternative network architec-
tures. The first (and by far the nicest to work on) is the
virtual system. In this system, you would typically have
your own powerful personal computer (e.g., a 16B) in-
terconnected with other users' 16Bs by a local-area net-
work (e.g., Arcnet). A program called the Network
Manager would run on each active system as an invis-
ible background task. All requests for files (i.e., programs,
data, or directories) that cannot be satisfied on your sys-
tem are referred to the Network Manager. The Network
Manager then queries all other active systems on the net-
work for the desired item and transports the item to your
computer for execution, if that item is a program. If the
item is not a program, an access link is created via the
network, if you have the correct authorization . You never
see all of this activity: you either get access to the file
or receive an error message describing why access was
290 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
denied (file not found, file found on another file system
to which access was not granted, etc.). This type of net-
work reduces data redundancy and, more important,
provides you with a transparent network-wide access in-
terface. The Model 16B could be hooked up to this type
of network if Radio Shack, Datapoint, or Microsoft
creates the right network software.
In the second alternative, the 16B's Arcnet hardware
could be used in a simple star network where a central
network "server" consists (usually) of a central processor
and disk system. Each user workstation would be a
Model 16B computer having either no mass-storage sys-
tem or only a floppy-disk drive. The central server is
used for all fast bulk storage and may also be used to
route data from one user's workstation or file system to
that of another user. It is easy to make this sort of net-
work operate like a virtual system, but such a network
is usually slower and is vulnerable to faults in the server.
Program execution on each of the workstations might
also be slower due to the need to retrieve program or
data segments from the central server's disk. The advan-
tages of this type of local-area network are that it is low
in cost, it can minimize data storage redundancy, it pro-
vides a single integrated and coordinated file system,
and, finally, it has relatively good compute performance
for processes that are entirely memory resident. What-
ever Radio Shack decides to do with the LAN facilities
it has in store for us, you can bet that it will be pro-
prietary and will promote the sale of other Radio Shack
computer products.
Xenix on the Model 16B
The Xenix implementation on the 16B is an enhance-
ment of Unix version 7 with the addition of several ex-
tensions from the University of California, Berkeley, and
from Unix System III. (For more information on the Unix
operating system, see David Fiedler's three-part article,
"The Unix Tutorial," appearing in the August,
September, and October 1983 BYTEs. See also the several
theme articles in the October 1983 issue on Unix.) The
system comes in two pieces. The basic multiuser Xenix
operating system and a pretty good collection of utilities
comes with the purchase of a Model 16B. The Xenix De-
velopment System adds numerous utilities and C, the
language in which Unix is written. C is being touted in
the industry as the only way to write truly portable fast-
executing code. Let it be known, however, that not all
versions of C are created equal. Unfortunately, despite
a clear definition of what C is and what it's supposed
to do by Kernighan and Ritchie in The C Programming
Language (reference 1), several nonstandard C compilers
are available on the market today. Worse, some compilers
have subtle differences in their implementations that
hinder true portability— code that runs well in some en-
vironments gets sick in others. The TRS-Microsoft im-
plementation appears to be reliable and standard. The
Xenix Development System adds many useful utilities
and commands including the Unix electronic-mail facil-
ities and Unix communications. Xenix is, in comparison
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January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 291
How a
fireman
and a
broken
kg
made
software
simple.
^W^ hat does a fireman know
about designing software?
Nothing. Usually.
Meet Dennis Jarvis, a firefighter from
Southern California. About five years ago he
broke his leg in a fire-related accident and was
confined to the house for about six months. To
keep him occupied, Dennis' wife bought him a
computer.
Dennis had never used a computer before.
But he proved to be a natural.
Dennis was soon writing his own programs.
And Basic Accounting from Firefighter was
born .
It was brilliant.
And so simple, you don't have to know
anything about accounting theory to use it.
But don't get the wrong idea. Just because it's
simple, doesn't mean it's not smart, too.
Basic Accounting from Firefighter has so many
more features and capabilities than the best sell-
ing accounting package, there's no room to list
them in this ad. You'll just have to ask your
dealer to show you.
Dennis? He returned to the Fire Department
soon after his leg healed, but remains the
spearhead of Firefighter Software.
In fact, in his never-ending efforts to make
Firefighter the most personal, most supported
software, Dennis has set up a telephone hotline
to answer your questions and provide consulta-
tion. That's just Dermis' way of insuring
Firefighter remains superior, always simpler yet
smarter.
Hotline: 1-800-641-0814
California Hotline: (213) 991-8200
FIREFIGHTER.
SIMPLER, SMARTER SOFTWARE.
UNPRACTICAL
mPERIPHERALS
31245 La Baya Drive, Westlake Village, CA 91362
292 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. Circle 472 on inquiry Card.
to other manufacturer's offerings, a fairly complete
implementation of Unix (minus the languages that come
standard with real Unix) at a moderate cost. However,
it is possible that Unix System V will be released to end
users at a low cost and so offer significant competition
to Xenix.
Xenix and Unix System Calls
The most widely distributed and used version of Unix
today is version 7. Microsoft Xenix is a derivative of this
version with some enhancements and is available as a
single or multiuser environment. Like Unix, Xenix re-
quires a good deal of memory (at least 256K bytes for
a one-user system) and a lot of hard-disk space (we think
that a 10-megabyte disk with an average access time of
95 milliseconds is the minimum practical). Both systems
work better with more memory and with faster, bigger
disks. Xenix supports all of the version 7 standard system
calls (what a program uses to talk with the operating sys-
tem), plus some extensions that improve multiuser ac-
cess to the system's resources. The standard system calls
(similar to CP/M's BDOS, or basic disk operating system,
calls) are shown with brief explanations in table 1. The
most notable extensions to Unix are in the kernel; they
affect file access and signaling between tasks (called pro-
cesses in Unix). Unix and Xenix are structured much like
an onion; at the center is the kernel, the basic code that
makes it all go. Successive layers of code add utilities,
features, languages, and the user interface— called the
shell. The kernel has the task of making the link between
the Unix standard environment and the nitty-gritty of
the machine on which the operating system is running.
Thus, standard system calls can be issued from pro-
grams, and their translation into action on a particular
machine is handled by the kernel. This is the key to why
Unix is a highly portable system. You only have to rewrite
the kernel and a few device drivers to transport the whole
system to another machine, using a standard C compiler
and an assembler available on the target machine. One
of the primary concerns in using Unix in a commercial
multiuser environment is how to achieve orderly and
centrally-controlled access to disk data at the individual
record level. Standard Unix does not support the types
of access-permission control and concurrency control
(file and record locking) required by business programs.
This is one of the first areas addressed by Xenix enhance-
ments to standard Unix.
File Access Control
The Xenix extension routine locking locks or unlocks a
specific number of bytes in a file. The process that issues
the lock command has read/write access to these bytes
and may allow read-only access to other processes. The
parameters mode and size control these actions. If the
region being locked is already locked by another pro-
cess, the locking routine requesting access can wait for
the entire region to be unlocked or can return with an
error code. A Unix/Xenix standard specification for this
routine is shown here:
Now your computer can say anything and say it well.
Introducing the Votrax Personal Speech System.
Quite articulate.
Friendly to humans.
The unlimited vocabulary Votrax
Personal Speech System is the most
sophisticated, low cost voice synthe-
sizer available today. Its highly
articulate text-to-speech translator lets
your computer properly pronounce
conversational words at least 95%
44
of the time.
For all those
unusual words and
proper names, you
can define an excep-
tion word table and
store your own translations.
And remember, the entirely
, self-contained Votrax PS System
gets your computer talking
without using any valuable
computer memory.
Built-in versatility.
Much more than just a voice output
device, the Votrax PS System lets
you mix either speech and sound ef-
fects or speech and music. A pro-
grammable master clock and 255
programmable frequencies give you
unmatched control of speech and
sound effects.
The Votrax PS System offers user
expandable ROM for custom appli-
cations, user downloadable software
capability and sound effects
subroutines for easy user program-
ming. Its programmable speech rate
provides more natural rhythm, while
16 programmable amplitude levels
give you greater control of word
emphasis.
Actual size: 12.2" x 4. 5" x 2.6"
Designed to look like a printer to
your computer, the Votrax PS System
is extremely easy to use. It can be used
in tandem with your printer without an
additional interface card. Both serial
and parallel ports come standard,
allowing you to connect the Votrax PS
System to virtually any computer.
Speech, music and sound effects are
only a PRINT statement away.
What to say after "Hello".
Businesses will appreciate spoken
data transmission, narration of graphic
displays and unmanned, oral product
demonstrations. Spoken verification of
data input will make computers much
easier for the blind to use. School chil-
dren can receive comprehensive
The Votrax Personal Speech System
is covered by a limited warranty.
Write Votrax for a free copy.
500 Stephenson Highway, Troy, MI 48084
computer instruction with voice text-
books as well as spoken drills and
testing. And then, late at night, you can
make those adventure games explode.
A quick list.
d Highly articulate Votrax text-to-
speech translator.
D 255 programmable frequencies for
speech/ sound effects.
E 16 amplitude levels.
D Simultaneous speech and sound effects
or speech and music.
□ 8 octave, 3 note music synthesis.
D Serial and parallel interface standard.
□ User programmable master clock.
□ User defined exception
word table.
□ User programmable speech
rate, amplitude and inflection.
□ User expandable ROM
for custom applications.
□ User downloadable
software capability.
□ 3,500 character
input buffer: sub-
divisible for a printer
buffer.
D Internal speaker and external
speaker jack.
□ Real time clock and
8 user defined alarms.
D Oral power up and error prompting.
D X-on/X-off and RTS-CTS handshaking.
□ Programmable Baud settings (75-9600).
D Interrupt driven Z-80 microprocessor.
□ Parallel/Serial interconnect modes.
□ Proper number string translation: the
number " 1 54" is pronounced "one
hundred fifty four".
To order, see your local computer
retailer or call toll-free
1-800-521-1350
Michigan residents, please call
(313)588-0341. MasterCard, VISA or
personal check accepted. The price is
$395 plus $4 for delivery. Educational
discount available. Add sales tax in
Michigan and California.
©VOTRAX 1982
r-y f(f U(x
********
**8TflU
p OWE$
■
Circle 372 on inquiry card.
RIGHT FACE.
RIGHT PRICE.
At $75 and $99 respectively, PRinterFace™
and GraphiCard™ are the right parallel interface
products for your Apple II, II + , lie or Apple* *
compatible system.
But don't be fooled by those low prices.
High performance features and high reliability
make them the right choice for serious printing
requirements.
PRinterFace, for example, offers 27 easy
commands that let you format text, send con-
trols to the printer. You can even dump
80-column text screen from your Apple lie.
GraphiCard gives you all that, plus graphics
capabilities for 37 of the most popular printers.
Eight additional commands permit a variety of
graphics, screen dumps, including side-by-side,
top-to-bottom, double -size, inverse, emphasized,
rotated and mixed text and graphics. For Apple
II owners, the GraphiCard will give 80-column
screen dumps from the Videx™ 80-column board.
By the way, if you buy PRinterFace and
decide later that graphics would be nice, there's
an easy-to-install upgrade kit that'll do the trick
just fine.
Both cards clearly give you more for your
money. And both are warrantied for five years.
That's right, five years.
So drop into your local dealer and ask about
PRinterFace and GraphiCard today. Two more
practical products from Practical Peripherals.
mmPRACTICAL
^PERIPHERALS
31245 La Baya Drive, Westlake Village, CA 91362
(213) 991-8200 • TWX 910-336-5431
*Suggested retail price.
**Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
294 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. Circle 473 on inquiry Card.
locking (fildes, mode, size)
int fildes;
int mode;
long size;
We'll describe some of the notation as we go along,
but a complete specification of the C language is con-
tained in Kernighan and Ritchie's book on C. All Unix
and Xenix documentation uses headers such as this one
to specify exactly what a routine's calling sequence is.
access
determine accessibility of file
acct
turn accounting on or off
alarm
schedule signal after specified time
brk
change core allocation
chdir
change working directory
chmod
change mode of file
chown
change owner and group of a file
chrrot
change the root directory
close
close a file
creat
create a new file
dup
duplicate an open file descriptor
execl
execute a file
exit
terminate process
fork
create a new process
getgid
get group identity
getpid
get process identity
getuid
get user identity
indir
indirect system call
ioctl
control device
kill
send signal to a process
link
link to a file
lock
lock a process in primary memory
Iseek
move read/write pointer
mknod
make a directory or a special file
mount
mount a file system
nice
set program priority
open
open file for reading and writing
pause
stop until signal
pipe
create an interprocess channel
profil
execution time profile
ptrace
process trace
read
read from file
setuid
set user identity
setgid
set group identity
signal
catch or ignore signals
stat
get file status
stime
set time
sync
update super block
time
get date and time
times
get process times
umask
set file creation mode mask
umount
remove a file system
unlink
remove directory entry
utime
set file times
wait
wait for process to terminate
write
write on a file
Table 1:
Standard Xenix system calls.
• .
-j* +
PA NTH**
;^s**>
;»V
, - i:T
•
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The CUB's sleek low profile design totally eliminates that overcrowded work area
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Note that the notation is terse and assumes that you
understand both the nuances of the C language and how
C was used to implement the function.
The parameter fildes is the file description (i.e., the uni-
que identifier) of the file to be locked. Variables are
shown in C-language-type declaration statements as
either integer (int) or long integer (long).
Binary semaphores are implemented in Xenix as a spe-
cial file type having a length of 0. Each semaphore has
a name (sem_name) and a mode that specifies permis-
sions. A program creates the semaphore as follows:
int creatsem (sem_name,
char *sem_name;
int mode;
mode)
/* a character pointer */
Execution of the integer function creatsem causes the
semaphore to be reset and a unique semaphore identi-
fication number to be returned. Other processes can
then open the semaphore with a routine open_sem, but
access is granted only if the calling process has been
given permission by the creating process. The routine
wait_sem suspends the calling process until that process
is signalled by the routine sigsem. More than one pro-
cess may wait for a given semaphore to be set. A first-
in-first-out (FIFO) queue is maintained by the system for
each semaphore. A program that reads a shared file
issues sigsem when it is done with the file. The sigsem
call awakens the next process on the FIFO stack that is
waiting to use the file. The routine nbwaitsem checks to
see if the queue for a particular semaphore number is
empty.
Thus, the semaphore routines provide the tools with
which programmers can construct a binary signaling sys-
tem between processes. The system is totally maintained
by the programmer. A high degree of skill is required
to use these facilities. But some such facilities are essen-
tial to the implementation of any multiuser application
program on a system where one action must be com-
pleted before the initiation of the next.
Xenix also provides several convenience routines such
as a "check" routine, rdchk, which looks to see whether
there is any data to be read on an input stream. Program-
mers can use the routine to avoid annoying "hangs" on
inactive input streams. The routine shutdn does all of the
housekeeping necessary to shut down the Xenix system
in an orderly fashion, including flushing all buffers to
disk and halting the central processing unit. The conse-
quences of a disorderly shutdown, caused by a power
outage or an inadvertent flick of the power switch on
the disk or the processor, are quite uncomfortable. Data
and even whole files and file systems can be lost without
the possibility of resurrection (unless you really know
what you are doing). To reduce the impact of such im-
proprieties, Xenix also supplies a tool that allows some
of the worst effects of a damaged file system to be fixed.
File-system-repair programs can replace the root file sys-
tem's "super block" by passing a new super block in sblk,
Cttek
DEVELOPMENT HARDWARE/SOFTWARE
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EPROM PROGRAMMER
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DR8PGX or DR5PGX ..$ 75.00
Cross Assemblers $200.00
XASM (for MSDOS) . . .$250.00
U/V Eraser DE-4 $ 78.00
RS232 Cables $ 30.00
8751 adapter $174.00
8755 adapter $135.00
48 Family adapter S 98.00
Compatible w/all Rs 232 serial interface port * Auto
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Bidirectional Xon/Xoff and CTS/DTR supported *
Read pin compatible ROMS * No personality
modules * Intel. Motorola, MCS86, Hex formats *
Split facility for 16 bit data paths * Read, program,
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commands * Busy light * Complete
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MODEL 7956
DR Utility Package allows communica-
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programmers from the CP/M com-
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PGX utility package allows the same
thing, but will also allow you to specify
a range of addresses to send to the
programmer. Verify, set the Eprom
type.
MODEL 7316 PAL PROGRAMMER
Programs all series 20 PALS. Software
included for compiling PAL source
codes. _
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MODEL 7128 EPROM PROGRAMMER
Programs and Read:
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NMOS
NMOS
CMOS
EEPROM
MPU'J
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MODEL 7324 PAL PROGRAMMER
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Programs all series 20 & 24 PALS.
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296 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 174 on inquiry card.
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a structure that contains all of the header declarations
for the super block of the file system to be repaired.
The Unix File System
The Unix file system is a hierarchical, or tree, struc-
ture. Microsoft has implemented the same general struc-
ture in a recent rewrite of its operating system for the
IBM Personal Computer, PC-DOS version 2.0. The root
directory, /, is where everything starts. Within / are kept
data files, files that contain programs, and files that are
directories of other files. It also contains a directory called
usr, which contains all of the user directories. Let's sup-
pose that a user named Randy has, as his home direc-
tory, the file called randy. Randy writes a program call-
ed hello. To run that program it is only necessary to type
the name of the program. What you type can be the
whole name (/usr/randy/hello) or an abbreviation, depend-
ing on where you are— that is, what your current direc-
tory is. If you type cd /usr/randy, your current directory is
randy and you can just type hello to execute the program.
If your current directory is /usr, you must type randy/hello.
Files and file systems are held together with a glue
made of pointers. Files reside in any blank space avail-
able on a disk. If the first space available is too small,
the file is written partly in that space and partly in the
next free space. Pointers keep track of what is where.
Because directories are nothing but files, it is possible
that a single bad pointer can lose hundreds or thousands
of other files.
Additional problems can occur in relation to another
feature of the operating system: to enhance performance,
writes to disk are not necessarily done when requested
by the user or calling program. This is because Unix I/O
is heavily buffered in memory. When some event calls
for a write, the write occurs to the buffer and the system
decides whether it is time to flush the buffer to the disk.
Every 30 seconds or so a housekeeping process (called
a daemon) comes along and flushes the buffers so that
the disk doesn't get too far out of synchronization. Not
surprisingly, this daemon is called sync. Sometimes, due
to a power fault, a bad memory location, or some other
event, the disk and the memory buffers are left unsyn-
chronized as the system crashes. Even the best-run and
best-maintained Unix system will encounter an occa-
sional crash or partial crash. The result is usually a some-
what damaged file system. It is up to the person respon-
sible for system maintenance to repair the damage.
System Maintenance
Unix version 7 supports programs used for file-system
maintenance, backup, and system accounting. Xenix has
made a number of extensions to the system to make
maintenance easier. File systems can be repaired using
dcheck, icheck, ncheck, and clri. These utilities give the sys-
tem maintainer a high degree of flexibility, but to be used
effectively they also require a high degree of knowledge
about the file system. Xenix includes a Unix System III
utility fsck (file system check) to help simplify repairs to
the file system.
298 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 22 on inquiry card.
Unix
Program
Version 7
Xenix TRSDOS
log in accounting
ac
ac*
turn on system accounting
accton*
prompt for correct time
asktime*
clear i-node
clri
clri*
directory consistency
dcheck
dcheck*
turn off terminals
disable
incremental system dump
dump
dump
directory of dump tape
dumpdir
turn on terminals
enable
file system consistency
fsck
quickly halt system
haltsys
storage consistency
icheck
icheck*
test RAM
memtest
make a file system
mkfs
mkfs format
make a special file
mknod
mknod
add login ID to system
mkuser
mount file system
mount
mount
name for i-numbers
ncheck
ncheck*
incremental system restore
restor
restor
remove user from system
rmuser
system accounting
sa
sa*
print and set dump dates
sddate*
gracefully halt system
shutdown
become super user
su
su
update super block
sync
sync
back up script
sysadminn backup
tape archiver
tar, tp
tar
dismount file system
umount
umount
'Available with the optional Radio Shack Development System.
Table 2: Unix version 7 maintenance
programs.
Backup is a key to the integrity of Unix systems. In-
variably, even with expert use of the file-maintenance
utilities, files are lost due either to user error or to system
error (user error is far more likely). The only effective
remedy is a current backup of the file that was lost. Xenix
supplies a menu-driven procedure (actually a shell
script) called sysadmin to help users maintain an adequate
backup of the system, and sddate is used to maintain a
backup history for the system.
Normal system maintenance includes authorizing new
users, deleting unneeded user accounts, establishing a
logical connection between new hardware (e.g., ter-
minals) and the system, and starting and stopping the
system. Xenix has made many of these chores easier. The
programs mkuser and rmuser establish (make) a user ac-
count and remove one in a far easier way than Unix,
where the manager must edit the /etc/passwd file. In Unix
version 7 the terminals were enabled and disabled by
editing the /etc/ttys file. In Xenix the programs enable and
disable simplify this process. The program shutdown is used
to warn other users that the manager intends to shut
the system down. The haltsys program accomplishes the
shutdown quickly.
Table 2 is a brief description of the maintenance pro-
grams available in Unix version 7, Xenix, and, for com-
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January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 299
and MS-DOS, and VMS too!
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UniPress, your UNIX source.
PACKAGING: VAX/VMS and UNIX, MC68000/
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Inquire regarding other hardware.
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UNIX SOFTWARE from
■ Full UniPlus + UNIX for Apple LISA $ 495
■ EMACS— Multi-window text editor
(Gosling version) 395
■ LEX— Powerful word processor 500
■ PHACT— Isam file manager 250
■ /RDB— Relational database tools 250
■ MENU SYSTEM— Menu generation 495
■ UniCalc— Powerful spreadsheet 350
■ MIMIX—CP/M emulator 495
■ C cross compiler— to 8086 and 68000
(includes assembler, linker, etc.) 8000
MS-DOS SOFTWARE
■ Software tools— Unix-like facilities add
power to MS-DOS: includes ed, grep,
sort, diff, cat, etc 200
■ PHACT— Isam file manager 250
■ C compiler— Full C language 395
■ Coherent— Unix-like operating system
for IBM-PC XT 500
VMS SOFTWARE
■ EMACS— Multi-window text editor
(Gosling version) 2500
OEM and dealer inquiries invited.
Quantity terms available.
Call or write for more information.
UniPress Software, Inc.
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201-985-8000 Toll Free: 800-222-0550 (outside NJ)
Telex: 709418
Mastercard and Visa
Overseas distribution available through
Lifeboat Associates — Japan
Unix is a trademark of Bell Laboratories.
VMS is a trademark of Digital Equipment Corp.
MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft.
UniCalc is a trademark of Lattice, Inc.
parison, TRSDOS (an operating system that we perceive
to be similar in scope— if not in structure or detail— to
most of the common single-user operating systems in
the microcomputer market today). Entries in tables 2
through 15 marked with an asterisk (*) in the Xenix col-
umn are available with the optional Development Sys-
tem from Radio Shack or Microsoft. Entries in tables 3
through 15 marked with the + symbol are from the
Berkeley implementation of Unix.
Program Development
Unix version 7 supports the program-development en-
vironment with a standard set of languages (included in
the operating system package): f77 (FORTRAN 77), RAT-
FOR (Rational FORTRAN preprocessor), a rudimentary
BASIC interpreter, and, of course, C, as well as a host
of useful utilities such as an assembler, a debugger, and
library management. Table 3a shows the program sup-
port utilities available in several operating systems. Table
3b lists the programming languages, utilities, and related
programs available in Unix and Xenix. Note that lan-
guage software for Xenix is available only in the Develop-
ment System or as a separate package. The arcv utility
converts an archive from PDP-11 format (most of Unix
was originally developed on PDP-lls) to one suitable for
the Motorola M68000. Another utility, ctags, is used with
vi, a full-screen (visual) editor of considerable power and
complicated syntax, to edit programs using more than
one source file. With ranlib you can convert an archive
to a randomized library that can be used with the link
editor— a program that takes the output of compilers or
assemblers (i.e., object programs) and puts them to-
gether to form a single runnable program (thus, a "fix"
in one program module requires only short recompila-
tion and linkage editing to have the program running
again). The Berkeley extensions mkstr, strings, and xstr
minimize the storage space required for strings used in
C programs.
Unix/Xenix Text Processing
The Unix community has spawned a number of
editors and text processing systems. Xenix makes many
of the text processors and two editors available to users.
The Unix line-oriented editor ed is easier to use on a
printing terminal than on a screen, but it is simple and
quick and, for short texts, very effective. The vi editor
has a manual nearly an inch thick and is a very power-
ful screen-oriented character editor. Each of these editors
can be used to prepare text that can be subsequently pro-
cessed by one of the formatting programs. Note that
what you see is not what you get in the system. The text-
processing formatters such as nroff, troff, and neqn pro-
vide tremendous flexibility and handle chores such as
typesetting, mathematical equations, tables, and
reference sections. The problem is that this is a multistep
process. You place formatting commands into the text
during text editing. To see the effect of these commands,
you submit them to the proper formatter and print the
result. You then proof the output, noting typographical
errors, editorial changes, and format goofs. Back to the
300 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 368 on inquiry card.
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ADDS Viewpoint 3A+ Emulates 442
ADDS Viewpoint G Graphics 1371
ADDS Viewpoint 60G Graphics 1511
ADDS Color Terminal NEW! 998
Zenith Z-29 Z19&VT100 compat 655
Zenith ZT-1 Terminal+modem 483
Visual 50 Ergonomic 653
Visual 55 New! Enhanced #50 734
Visual 102 80/132 columns 890
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301
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MRS/OS Source Code
THE Z-80 OPERATING SYSTEM
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Contains 55 OS
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Sequential and
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A division of
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CODE 11006 ■
(3a)
Unix
Program
Version 7
Xenix TRSDOS
CP/M
debugger
adb
adb* debug
ddt, save
archive/library manager
ar
ar*
convert archive format
arcv*
assembler
as
as*
asm
create a tags file
ctags*t
link editor
Id
Id*
load
ordering for library
lorder
lorder*
maintain program group
make
make*
message file from C
mkstr*t
print name list
nm
nm*
octal dump
od
od* list
dump
display profile data
prof
prof*
size of an object file
size
size*
stat
remove object file parts
strip
strip*
time a command
time
time*
randomize library
ranlib*
extract objects strings
strings* t
extract C strings
xstr*t
'Available with the optional Radio Shack Development System.
"•"From the Berkeley implementation of Uni
<.
(3b)
Unix
Program
Version 7
Xenix
BASIC interpreter
bas
unlimited precision
be
be*
C program beautifier
cb
cb*
C compiler
cc
cc*
desk calculator
dc
dc*
FORTRAN 77 compiler
f77
lexical analyzer generator
lex
lex*
C program verifier
lint
lint*
macro processor
m4
m4*
rational FORTRAN dialect
ratfor
ratfor*
structure FORTRAN
struct
struct*
parser generator
yacc
yacc*
'Available with the optional Radio
Shack Development System.
Table 3: Support utilities of four operating systems (3a) and lan-
guages and utilities available
for Unix and Xenix (3b).
editor. The typos and changes are easy, but figuring out
how to get the formatting just right is a matter of con-
siderable effort for those of us who haven't had the fore-
sight to get a Ph.D. in nroff. Tabel 4 shows what text util-
ities are available in Unix and Xenix.
File Processing
File processing was an area of considerable concern
to the Unix system designers. An efficient program-de-
velopment environment requires all sorts of neat ways
to get at things, to see if one thing is the same as another,
or to sort things into some reasonable order. Xenix pro-
vides the complete Unix version 7 file-processing set and
extends the set by a considerable margin. Table 5 shows
the file-processing capabilities of Unix, Xenix, TRSDOS,
302 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 263 on inquiry card.
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information system that
does exactly what you
need done. A
system that will
handle today's
problems, yet
grow with you.
dBASE
dBEST deal in town.
When you buy dBASE II, youTl be
getting the most advanced information
management tool available for your
micro for only $700 (suggested retail
price). At the same time, youTl be getting
the most advanced teaching tool (the
dBASE II On-Disk Tutorial) for free.
For the name of your nearest
dBASE II dealer, contact Ashton-Tate,
10150 West Jefferson Boulevard, Culver
City, CA 90230, (800) 437-4329, ext. 212.
In the U.K., call (0908) 568866.
^SHTON -TAIE
dBASE E is a registered trademark of Ashton-Tate.
©Ashton-Tate 1983
Circle 33 on inquiry card
BYTE January 1984 303
Here's just a taste
of our great prices.
DISKETTES
3M
S.S.D.DEN40TRK, 10. 16 SECTORS. $ 22.00
O.S.O.DEN 40 TRK. 10. 16 SECTORS... 34.50
VERBATIM DATALIFE
MD 525-01. 10, 16 $ 24.50
MD 550-01. 10, 16 42.50
PRINTERS
C-ITOH F-10 40 CPS P/S $ 1250.00
C-ITOH F-10 55 CPS P/S 1590.00
C-ITOH PROWRITER PARALLEL 399.00
C-ITOH PROWRITER SERIAL 550.00
EPSON GRAFTRAX PLUS 60.00
IDS 480 MICROPRISM 459.00
RIBBONS FOR MX-80 8.95
RIBBONS FOR MX-100 24.00
SOUNDTRAP for 80 column printers 99.00
MODEMS
HAYES MICROMODEM ll/e $256.00
HAYES SMART MODEM {300 Baud) 208.50
HAYES SMART MODEM {1200 Baud) 528,00
NOVATION APPLE-CAT (300 Baud) 310.00
MONITORS
AMOEK COLOR II INTERFACE He $ 149.00
AMDEK RGB COLOR II 465.00
AMDEK RGB INTERFACE 145.00
AMDEK 300A 159.00
AMDEK 310A IBM AMBER 179.00
BMC GREEN MONITOR 92.00
NEC 12" GREEN MONITOR 158.00
TAXAN 12" AMBER 145.00
USI AMBER 9" 155.00
USI AMBER 12" 165.00
ZENITH AMBER 129.00
APPLE SOFTWARE
APPLE MECHANIC $ 23.00
APPLESOFT WORKSHOP 37.45
BANK STREET WRITER 49.98
BEAGLE BAG 23.00
DOSS BOSS... 18.50
DOUBLE TAKE 24.95
FIREFIGHTER CALL
FORMATT II ENHANCED 132.50
MICROTYPING II. Hayden 24.35
PFS: GRAPH 89.95
PFS: (NEW) PERSONAL FILING SYSTEM. 85.00
PFS: REPORT 79.00
TIP DESK #1 15.59
UTILITY CITY 23.00
APPLE ll/lle HARDWARE
ALS 6 MHZ CP/M W/64K/C-BASIC $ 319.00
KRAFT JOYSTICK 48.94
MICROSOFT CP/M/80 COI/64K RAM 342.50
MICROSOFT Z-80 SOFTCARD 229.00
OUENTIN APPLEMATE 238.00
RANA CONTROLLER 104.00
SUPERFANII 62.00
SUPERFAN II W/ZENER 84.50
SUPER FIVE HALF HEIGHT DRIVE 269.00
VIDEX 80x24 VIDEO CARD 229.00
ULTRATERM 293.00
7710A ASYNCHRON. SER 135.00
GREAT APPLE GAMES
FLIGHT SIMULATOR (NEW) 34.50
LEGACY OF LLYLGAMYN 32.35
LODE RUNNER 27.25
WIZARDRY 37.95
ZORK I. II. Ill ....28.00
IBM® HARDWARE
APPARAT CRANBO II w/64K $364.00
HERCULES GRAPHICS CARD 399.00
KEYTRONICS KEYBOARD 215.00
KOALA PAD 99.00
KRAFT JOYSTICK 52.69
LATTICE C COMPILER 369.00
MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 38.95
MICROSOFT 64K 278.00
PLANTRONICS COLOR + w/Oraftsman 475.00
OUADBDARD 64K.... 308.00
OUADLINK 550.00
Tandon TM100-2 Double head 40 trk... 235.00
TEAC HALF HEIGHT D.S. Disk Drives... 279.00
TECHMAR GRAPHICS MASTER 587.00
T/G JOYSTICK 47.95
T/G TRACKBALL 47.95
USI MULTIDISPLAY 499.00
64K MEMORY UPGRADE 80.00
IBM® SOFTWARE
CONCURRENT CP/M 86 $315.00
CP/M 86 DIGITAL 54.00
d BASE II 409.00
EASYWRITER II 185.00
HOME ACCOUNTANT-f 105.00
JFORMAT 29.00
LOTUS 1.2,3 369.00
MICROSOFT FORTRAN 257.00
MICROSOFT WORD W/MOUSE 387.50
MONTE CARLO Multifunction Card 64K... 345.00
MULTIMATE 324.50
PFS: FILE 97.50
PFS: GRAPH 97.50
PFS: REPORT 97.50
PFS: WRITE 107.00
PIE WRITER 115.00
PROKEY 58.50
VOLKSWRITER ...125.00
WORDSTAR 279.50
WIZARDRY 47.76
MISCELLANEOUS
FLIP & FILE DISKETTE STORAGE. $ 19.95
6'/<" BIB Diskette Cleaner w/solution 8.95
To order or for
information call
In Los Angeles:
(213)706-0333*
IPUTER
PRODUCTS
31304 VIA COLIN AS
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA 91362
'For all your computer product needs, come visit us at our new California store.
Satisfaction Assurance — Your satisfaction is assured by our 30 day guarantee on all hardware products
we sell. All manufacturers' warranties are honored by manufacturers. Dead-on-arrival software will be replaced
free during the first 20 days, however, no refunds or exchanges on software, Proof of purchase required. All
returns must be authorized in advance.
304 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 474 on inquiry card.
and CP/M. The copy utility is a handy extension that
copies groups of files, whereas cp does so only with
some fairly arcane manipulation. A Berkeley enhance-
ment called more displays files a screenful at a time.
Members of the grep family, including look, are used to
Unix
Program
Version 7
Xenix
simple text formatter
roff
text typesetting
troff
troff*
text formatter
nroff *
nroff
typeset mathematics
eqn
eqn*
format mathematics
neqn
neqn*
format nroff/troff
tbl
tbl*
format references
refer
refer*
insert references
lookbib*
simulate typesetter
tc
tc*
greek letters print
greek
reverse line feeds
col
col*
remove format constructs
deroff
deroff*
check eqn usage
checkeq
checkeq*
prepare for statistics
prep*
format output
sp*
"Available with the optional Radio
Shack Development System.
Table 4: Unix and Xenix text utilities.
Unix
Program
Version 7
Xenix TRSDOS
CP/M
pattern processing
awk
awk
append file to file
cat
cat append
catenate and print
cat
cat
type
compare two files
cmp
cmp*
choose common lines
comm
comm*
copy groups of files
copy move
copy
cp
cp copy
pip
convert and copy a file
dd
dd
differences in two files
diff
diff
differences in three files
diff3*
full expression search
egrep*
string search
fgrep
limited expression search
grep
grep
print beginning of file
head*t
relational database join
join
join*
find lines in sorted list
look
look*
browse file
moret
print page headings
pr
pr
reverse lines
rev*
stream editor
sed
sed
sort or merge files
sort
sort
split file
split
split*
checksum of file
sum
sum*
print end of file
tail
tail
translate characters
tr
tr*
topological sort
tsort
tsort*
duplicate lines
uniq
uniq*
word count
wc
wc*
'Available with the optional Radio Shack Development System.
^From the Berkeley implementation of Uni>
Table 5: File-processing
capabilities of four operating systems.
%»9
to
a**
*J *
1 ^<ti«««y TTTTfTin r
i u » Jtnactfibfi XBBEOSm^ tJBBCCEBSt ^ bBb3C*S9DO> 4 acrjHt'rjob^ - * J * i -
***} L llin «ll ;t 1 TTTTTTT S i, , . ,'BmHl|| [ J
Thirsty for a 384k Multifunction Board?
Try a SixPakPlus
■TM
Since the introduction of DOS 2.0. the capabilities of
the PC have been increased with the ability to
address up to 640k of memory. With the current PC
having 256k available on the computer motherboard,
you need another 384k to reach 640k. Great you say.
but multi-function boards only have room for 256k
on them. Welllookagam. because no wyou can get
the new SixPakPlus™ with up to 384k of memory,
clock/calendar, asynchronous (RS232C serial) port,
printer port. SuperDrive™ electronic disk emulation,
and SuperSpooler™ printer spooling. There is even
an optional game port. And if you already have
enough memory for your present needs, you can
stillgeton the bandwagon by buying it withoutany
memory. When your needs for memory grow, the
sockets are ready for you to install six banks of 64k
parity checked memory.
With the SixPakPlus™ from AST Research you get
the most advanced multifunction board available
from the industry leader in IBM PC enhancements.
You get a clock/calendar powered by a clip-on
battery which does not require factory service to
replace. It automatically loads the correct time and
date when you turn on your computer. The serial
port can be configured as COM) or COM2, and has
jumpers for simplifying wiring of cables. The printer
port uses. all the same signals as IBM's —you can
even use the IBM diagnostics on it. The optional
game port uses any IBM compatible joystick.
The board is backed up with a one-year warranty
on parts and labor and the Qubie' satisfaction
guarantee. If for any reason you are not satisfied
with the performance of your board within 30 days
of purchase, you may return it for a full refund,
including the postage to return it And if your board
should need warranty service we do the repairs in
48 hours or we replace your board with a new one.
That's the leyel of service that has made us the
largest dealer in the world for AST Research products
MegaPlus II & l/O-Plus II
The Ultimate Expansion for IBM PC or XT
The AST Research MegaPlus II™ has three functions
standard Pantycheckedand fully socketed memory
up to 256k in 64k increments, clock/ calendar with
battery back-up for automatic loading of time and
date when the computer is turned on: and asyn-
chronouscommumcation port (RS232C serial) which
can be used as COM1 or COM2. (DTE for a printer,
or DCE fora modem). Also included is SuperDrive™
"electronic disk" software. This program builds
"disk drives" in memoiy which access your programs
at the speed of RAM You get SuperSpooler™, print
spooling software It operates your printer while
you continue to work with your computer
Options include a 100% IBM compatible parallel
printer port (can be configured as LPT1. or LPT2), and
a second RS232C asynchronous port (COMI or
COM2) Three MegaPak™ options can plug onto
your MegaPlus II "piggyback" style to give you an
additional 128k or 256k of memory, or a game port.
Circle 302 on inquiry card.
I/O-Plus II™. is the answer for those who don't
need additional memory but would like all those
other multi-function board features The I/O-Plus
II™ comes standard with a clip-on battery powered
clock/calendar, an asynchronous communication
port (RS232C serial). SuperDrive™ electronic disk,
and SuperSpooler™ print spooling software
Optional is a second asynchronous port (DTE. or
DCE). a parallel printer adapter, and the best game
paddle adapter on the market It is an IBM standard
game port, but it can also use Apple compatible
paddles and joysticks Options are all socketed so
they may be added later should the need arise
Both boards come with a one year factory
warranty and the Qubie' satisfaction guarantee If
for any reason you are not satisfied with the
performance of your board within thirty days of
purchase, you may return it for a full refund,
including the postage to return it
TO ORDER
BY MAIL INCLUDE:
-complete description of products requested
-daytime phone number
-California residents add 6% sales tax
-check or credit card number with
expiration date (personal checks take
18 days to clear)
^5. 5Q
TO ORDER BY PHONE:
In California (805) 987-9741
Outside California TOLL FREE (800) 821-4479
PRICES:
l/O-Plus 2™ with Clock/calendar, serial (asyn-
chronous) port, SuperDrive™ and SuperSpool™
-$119
MegaPlus II™ no memory, with clock, serial.
and software - S229
SixPakPlus™ no memory, with clock, serial port,
printer port, and software - S229
Each 64k of memory installed and tested on
MegaPlus. SixPakPlus or alone $55
Parallel Printer Port S35
Second Asynchronous Port S35
Game Adapter (I/O or SixPakPlus) $35
MegaPak™ with 256k of Memory S299
128k of Memory SI99
GamePak for MegaPlus!! S40
ConnectAII Cable Bracket SI9
Cable to Parallel Printer S3
Cable to Modem or Serial Printer S25
Diagnostics Program SI
SUPERWRITER by Sorcim Si 79
SUPERCALC by Sorcim S159
dBASE II by Ashton-Tate S409
Word Processing Keyboard S229
Keyboard/Superwnter Package S399
SHIPMENT
Normal shipment is day after receipt of order
We pay UPS surface charges on all items except
keyboards For keyboards add S5 for surface. SI0
for 2 day air All COD shipments add S3
handling
QUANTITY PURCHASES?
If your corporation, institution, or users group
has needs for quantities of boards, call us for
details on our quantity purchase program.
.10
us for
QUBIE'
4809 Calle Alto, Camarillo, CA 93010
Tempo House
IS Falcon Road. Ijondon, SVX/ 11, UK
BYTE January 1984 305
Mil ,™«^' 8t * !
«
APPLE/
FRANKLIN
Complete Graphics/
Apple Tablet
ASHTON-TATE
d-Bose II $ 399
ASPEN SOFTWARE
Grommotik $ 60
Proofreader 42
BEAGLE BROS.
Apple Mechanic. . .
DOS Boss
Utility City
22
17
22
BRODERBUND
Bonk Street Writer ... $ 49
General Ledger w/AP . 305
Payroll 275
CDEX
Visicalc Training $ 45
CHARLES MANN
Closs Scheduling $ 299
CONTINENTAL SOFTWARE
Home Accountant ..'..$ 49
DOW JONES
Market Analyzer $ 245
Market Manager 219
Microscope 569
HOWARD SOFTWARE
Tax Preporer $ Call
LINK SYSTEMS
Dotofox $ Call
Dotolink 79
B6
SIERRA DESIGN
Homeward $ Call
SOFTECH
Basic Compilers'
Runtime
Softeoch
UCSD P-system Set
SOFTWARE PUBLISHING
PFS: File $ 79
PFS: Graph 79
PFS: Report 79
SUPERSOFT
Basic Tutor
Fortran
169
94
469
.... $79
.... 299
SYSTEMS PLUS (Z80 req.)
Landlord $ 375
VISICORP
Visicolc (II or HE) $ 179
Visischedule 225
CP/M
SOFTWARE
COMPUVIEW
•V-Edit 8080 Z80,
I8M/PC .......
•V-Edit CP/M 86,
MS DOS
.$ 130
DIGITAL RESEARCH
•Pascal MT+ W/SPP ..$
160
389
LOGO CORNER
Krell Logo
MICROPRO
Wordstor (Special)
(w/CP/M Cord,
7 col. & 64K) $
Infostor (Includes
CP/M, 70 col., 64K) . .
Pro Pok
(WS/MM/SS/lndex) . .
375
425
MICROSOFT
Cobol-80 $ 499
Fortran-80 145
TASC Compiler 125
A.L.D.S 95
Multiplan (DOS) 169
OMEGA
Locksmith $ 69
PEACHTREE (CP/M)
Peochpok 40 G/L +
A/R + A/P (Special).. $ 237
Series 40
G/L, A/R, A/P eo. . . 1 95
Series 9
Peochcolc 279
Telecommunications . . 279
PENGUIN SOFTWARE
Complete Graphics. .. $ 53
Graphics Magician ... 45
306 BYTE January 1984
MAC 85
ZSID (Z80) Debugger . 90
CP/M 2.2 180
C Basic 2 110
PL/1-80 375
C Basic Compiler
(CB-80) 299
Access or Display Mgr. 299
C Language/compiler 260
Concurrent CP/M 2.0 . 225
All 8" - 86 Version
of Above $ Call
INFOCOM
•Deadline $ 49
*Storcross 39
'Suspended 39
•Zark, I, II, III (each) ... 39
Planet Fall 49
LEXISOFT
•Spellbinder $ 239
MARK OF THE UNICORN
•Final Word $ 209
MICROPRO
•WordStar $ Call
•InfoStar $ Call
•Pro-Pock (WS/MM/SS
Index) $ Call
All others $ Call
ORYX
SYSTEMS
QUALITY DISCOUNTS
d-BASE II CORNER
Ashton-Tate
d-Base II
$ Call
Bottom Line Strategist
FPL
269
475
199
Human Soft
d-Bose Plus
$ 89
Fox & Geller
$ 1 99
D Util
60
Software Banc
d-Bose II User's Guide:
w/ d-Bose II Purchase
w/o d-Bose Purchase
Anderson-Bell
Abstot
$ 15
20
$ 349
Tylog Systems
d-Bose Window
$ 199
*A// above available on PC-DOS
MICROSOFT
Basic 80 $ 239
Basic Compiler 249
Fortran 80 330
Cobol 80 449
Macro 80 130
MuMoth/MuSimp 1 85
MuLisp/MuStor 1 42
'Multiplan 175
PICKLES & TROUT
CP/M for TRS-II $ 180
PRO/TEM SOFTWARE
•Footnote $ 105
REVASCO
ZB0 Disassembler $ 85
SORCIM
•Supercalc III $ Call
Superwriter
(w/Speller& Mailer) . $ 179
PEACHTREE CORNER
► PeachPak 4 (GL, AP, AR) $ 237
► General Ledger / Accounts Payable / Accounts
Receivable / Soles Invoicing / Inventory Control /
PeachPoy Payroll Each 399
► PeachText 1 60
► PeachText w/ Random House Thesaurus 1 95
► Spelling Proofreader 95
► PeachCalc 90
► Job Cost System 399
► Client Posting & Accounting 399
► Graphics Language 275
► Business Graphic System 1 99
MICROSTUF
•Crosstalk $
15
NORTHWEST ANALYTICAL
•Statpok $ 365
OASIS
The Word Plus $ 1 20
Punctuation and Style 99
ORGANIC SOFTWARE
• Datebook $ 229
•Milestone 229
SELECT
Select Word
Processor $ 356
STAR SOFTWARE SYSTEMS
*Legal Time, Billing. . . . 845
Property Mgmt 845
•Acc't Portner 299
SUPERSOFT
'Diagnostic II
Disk Doctor.
89
74
Formats Available*
All prices below are for 8" standard. Other formats are
available. Some formats subject to "Download" fee and
require minimum 2 weeks for delivery. Please inquire.
'Fortran 4
Bosic-8086
k C Cross Assembler . . .
'ScratchPod
T MAKER III
299
225
400
199
??n
IBM /PC
J
Please see CP/M
listing. All products
with a * in front are
also made for
PC/DOS and are
priced the same
unless otherwise
specified.
ALPHA SOFTWARE
Data Base Mgr. II . .
Mailing List ........
Executive Pkg
Type Faces
Question
Apple-IBM
Connection
....$ 195
72
.... 105
. . . / 87
35
.... 130
CENTRAL POINT
Copy II PC... $ 34
CONDOR III
w/Training $ 445
CONTINENTAL
Home Accountant .... $ 95
DIGITAL RESEARCH
Concurrent CP/M 86..$ 225
CP/M-86 40
Cobol 86 499
Pascal MT + 86
(MS DOS) 375
SPP 86 1 30
SID 86 113
C Basic 86 135
Pascal PC/DOS 385
DR Logo 109
DOW JONES
Market Analyzer $ 245
Market Manager 219
ECO-SOFT
Microstat $ 230
FINANCIER
Tax Series
Personal
105
$ 119
GRAPHIC SOFTWARE
Super Chartman II $ 299
Super Chartman I V . , . 1 99
Both (above) 350
LEXISOFT
SpellBinder $ 259
LIFETREE
Volkswriter $ 135
LOTUS 123 $ Call
PEACHTREE
Please see listing
under CP/M.
PeachText 5000.
. $ 237
SUPERSOFT
C Compiler - 8086 ... $ 350
Star Edit 180
Disk Edit 75
Basic Compiler 225
Fortran IV PC/DOS
or 8086
8087 Support ....
Diagnostics II ....
Scratch Pod
299
40
89
199
SYSTEMS PLUS
Landlord (prop mgmt) $ 375
Runtime Basic
(req'd tor above) 45
. . . and many more!
APPLE/
FRANKLIN
BOARDS
ALS CP/M Cord 3
ALS Smorterm
ALS Z-Cord II
ABT Keyboard
Axlon Romdisk 128K ..
Bit 3 Dual Comm-plus .
CCS 7710 Asynch Serial
Central Point Alaska . .
East Side Wild Cord . .
Microsoft 16K Romcard
Microsoft Soft cord ....
Microsoft Softcard + . .
Microsoft Premium
Softcord (HE)
Microtek Printer l/F . . .
Microtek Dumpling-16
Microtek Dumpling-GX
Mourtain A-D/D-A . . .
Mountain Music
System w/Software . . .
PCP 4 MHZ Appli-
Card + 88 Cord
PCP 88 Card 16 Bit
+ 64K
Prometheus Versocard
Prometheus Grophitti
Cord
SSM ASIO Serial l/F
w/cable
SSM AIO-2 Serial/
Parallel
Street Echo II Speech
Synthesizer l/F
Tymac Parallel l/F
w/cable
Videx Display
Enhancer
Videx Display
Enhancer II
Videx Func. Strip
Videx Videoterm
VT-600
Videx Ultraterm
Wesper 16K Ram Cord
299
249
142
99
299
209
119
119
110
69
235
429
395
75
195
119
279
299
599
475
159
99
129
179
129
79
99
99
59
235
299
69
IBM /PC
BOARDS
AST RESEARCH
ComboPlus 64K Clock/
Calendar, Serial &
Parallel, l/F, Expand-
able to 256K $ 279
MegaPlus 64K, Clock/
Calendar, Serial Port,
Expandable to 512K
w/Megapok 269
Extra ports available
for Megaplus and I/O
Plus II includes Game,
Parallel & Serial 40
Megapok 256K upgrade
for Megaplus $ Call
I/O Plus II Clock/Calen-
dar and Serial Port ... 115
LNW Products $ Call
MAYNARD ELECTRONICS
Floppy Drive
Controller $ 155
Floppy Drive Control-
ler w/Parallel Port ... 209
w/Serial Port 249
Sandstor Mem. Card
— 3 modules cop. . . 194
Sandstor Multifunction
Cord -6 modules cap. 93
Sandstar Modules .... $ Call
QUADRAM
Quadboard 64K, Clock/
Calendar, Serial &
Parallel Ports,
Software $ 279
Microfozer Stack Printer
Buffer (expandable to 512K)
► Parallel/Parallel BK . . 145
► Parallel/Parallel 64K 188
► Serial/Parallel BK ... 170
► Serial/Serial BK 170
Quadlink 64K Memory,
Game Port allows
Apple Software to
toon IBM/PC $ Call
TECMAR Products . . . . S Coll
XEDEX/MICROLOG
Baby Blue $ 475
TALL TREE
512K JRAM Mem.
Board S 699
f
\
MONITORS
v
j
Amdek Video 300A
Amber
.$ 159
Amdek RGB
425
NEC 12" Hi-Res Green
. 1B7
Sanyo 12" Hi-Res
Green
199
USI Hi-Res 12" Amber
160
NEC JB-1260 Green . .
. 119
PGS RGB Color
$ Call
NEC JC-1203RGB....
560
Panasonic
Monitors
.$ Call
Quadram
Quodchrome
.$ Call
Taxan 12" Amber ....
139
Taxan 1 2" Green ....
. 132
Taxan 12" Med. RGB .
323
Taxan 12" High RGB .
. 512
Taxan RGB
Coble for PC
17
Sony Profeel
12/19/25"
$ Call
DISK DRIVES
Teac Half-Hgt
Superftve Holf-Hgt
(App)
Panasonic Half-Hgt . . .
Tandon TM-55-2
Tandon TM-100-2
Davong DSI-501 Hard
Davong DSI-512 Hard
Davong DSI-519 Hard
Corona 5 MB Hard . . .
Corona 10 MB Hard ..
CDC 1800
Corvus
Tall Grass
Vista Solo 143K
Vista Solo & Controller
S 259
9
205
$ 275
239
$ Coll
S Call
$ Call
1.395
1,795
270
$ Call
$ Call
S 259
329
PRINTERS
C. Itoh Startwriter F10.S 1,149
C Itoh Prowriter B510 . 379
TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORNER
*** SPECIAL ***
Hayes Smortmodem 12000/Hoyes Smortcom II Software
AST I/O Plus II Clock Calendar and Serial Port .... $ 689
Above w/Smortmodem 300 399
Hayes Smortmodem 1200 & Smartcom II Software . 575
MODEMS
Novation
Apple-Cot II $ 269
Hayes Micromodem II . 259
Anchor Mark I B4
Anchor Mark VII 1 29
Hayes
Smortmodem 300 ....$ 205
Hayes
Smartmadem 1200 ... 495
Hayes Chronograph .. 189
Novation 212
Auto-Cat 579
US Robotics Auto-
Dial (full auto
answer 300/1200) 459
US Robotics Auto-
Link (auto answer
300/1200) 379
US Robotics Password 395
C Itoh Prowriter 1550 . 689
NEC 3550 $ Call
NEC 8023A 475
Okidata Microline B2A 389
OkidataMicroline B3A 599
Okidata Microline 92 . 499
IDS Prism B0
(w/4 options) 1.399
IDS Prism 132
(w/4 options) 1.547
IDS MicroPrism 399
DISPLAY CARD CORNER
Hercules Graphics Boord
Orchid Monochrome Graphic Adapter
Plantronics Colorplus
USI Display Cord (color/monochrome)
Amdek MAI Card
Tecmar Graphic Master
369
360
389
Call
Call
Coll
Silver-Reed
Daisy Wheel
.$ Call
Star Micronics
Gemini 10X
325
Star Micronics
Gemini 15
GE Printers
449
.$ Call
Epson FX-80
599
Transtar T-130-P
699
Transtar T-315P Color
Transtar T-120P
519
499
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MT160I
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475
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Please:
► Wisconsin residents add 5% for sales tax.
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items. For multiple and other items, call.
► Foreign — odd 15% handling & shipping for
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► Prices are subject to change without notice.
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Store prices are strictly retail.
ORYX SYSTEMS, INC.
425 First St. • P.O. Box 1961
Wausau, Wl 54401
DISKETTES
3M 5" DS. DD. Box ... S 40
BASF 5" DS, DD, Box . 37
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Apple/Franklin
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Research. IBM and the
IBM logo are registered
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Computer Company.
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in Wisconsin: 715-848-1374
Int'l Telex: 260181
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©>£
>22ibi
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Circle 274 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 307
Unix
Program
Version 7
Xenix
TRSDOS CP/M
repeat last command
!(csh)
again
execute command at time
at
at*
execute on log-in
.profile
.profile
auto
create shell script
ed
ed
build ed
schedule programs
cron
cron
shell with C-like syntax
csht
echo arguments
echo
echo
evaluate expression
expr
expr
return false
false
fix last command line
fc
get string from input
gets*
signal process
kill
kill
run command with priority
nice
nice*
run immune to hangups
nohup
nohup*
return a random number
random
*
read line from terminal
read
read
execute a shell script
sh
sh
do submit
suspend for interval
sleep
sleep
return true
true
duplicate output
tee
tee*
dual
condition command
test
test
shell with TRSDOS syntax
tsh
wait for completion
wait
wait
output unit end of pipe
yes
'Available with the optional Radio Shack Development System.
"tFrom the Berkeley implementation of Unix
Table 6: Program-control
interface
facilities
available on four
operating systems.
search files for patterns or words, and cmp, diff, and diff3
are file-content comparison programs.
Xenix Shells
The program control interface for Unix systems is im-
plemented by a shell program. This shell is the outer-
most skin of the operating system onion. Xenix has three
shells available. You are assigned a shell when your user
account is created on the system. Changing shells is a
simple matter. It is possible, but not easy, to write a
whole new shell and use it instead of one of the shells
provided. An easier matter is to write "shell scripts''
within either the standard Bourne shell or the Berkeley
C-shell. Shell scripts can help make user environments
that are much easier for unsophisticated users than the
standard environments. Menu interfaces, for example,
can be implemented without excessive difficulty. Radio
Shack has also provided tsh, which implements an
emulation of the TRSDOS environment and its com-
mands (such as dir) for users familiar with that interface
and unwilling to tackle the standard Unix fare. Table 6
is a comparison of the program-control interface facilities
available on Unix, Xenix, TRSDOS, and CP/M.
Communication
Unix has supported intersystems communication for
some time and as a standard part of the system. Xenix
has expanded the complement of communications pro-
Unix
Program
Version 7
Xenix
TRSDOS
reminder service
calendar
calendar*
call up Xenix (terminal
emulation)
cu
cu*
terminal
send or receive mail
mail
mail*
permit or deny messages
mesg
mesg*
write to user
write
write*
Unix-to-Unix copy (file transfer)
uucp
uucp*
host
uucp log summary
uulog*
Unix-to-Unix execution
uux*
write to all users
wall
wall
*Available with the optional Radio
Shack Development Systen
i.
Table 7: Communication utilities. Note that Unix supports both
communications among users on one system and communications
among separate systems.
grams available. Of particular note is uux, a program that
lets you specify separate systems for program input, ex-
ecution, and output. Naturally, these systems must be
linked by auto-dial modems or by a local-area network.
Table 7 is a comparison of utilities available within Unix
version 7, Xenix, and TRSDOS.
File-Access Control
Unix files have sophisticated access controls. Each
named file has an owner who, in turn, belongs to a
group. The file has a set of access permissions and is
marked with the date created and the date last modified.
Changing shells is a simple matter:
it is possible to write a whole new
shell and use it instead of one of
the shells provided.
The utilities mv (move a file— the same as renaming it),
chown (change owner), chmod (change mode— the same
as changing access attributes), chgrp (change file group),
settime, and touch are all used to change these access at-
tributes. A directory is a special file that has special at-
tributes and that contains references to other files. Thus,
several of the listings in table 8 are directory-control func-
tions. The utility In (link) allows a file to appear in more
than one directory under different names. Table 8
presents a comparison of Unix, Xenix, TRSDOS, and
CP/M on file-access control.
Terminal Handling
Unix provides an easy method for handling nearly any
terminal in a way that is (usually) transparent to users
and their application programs. Settings include speed
(data rate), parity, echo (i.e., full or half duplex), the char-
acters to use for backspace and kill, and the end-of-file
characters. The Berkeley enhancement tset uses the
terminal-capabilities database /etc/termcap to set terminal
modes. Note that in Xenix, it is impossible to set terminal
308 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
ISSfcSJ
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BYTE January 1984 309
Unix
Program
Version 7
Xenix
TRSDOS CP/M
change working directory
cd
cd
change file group
chgrp
chgrp
change file owner
chown
chown
change file mode
chmod
chmod
atrib stat
find files
find
find*
make a link
In
In
make a directory
mkdir
mkdir
move files, directories
mv
mv
rename ren
remove files
rm
rm
kill, purge era
remove directories
rmdir
rmdir
change file dates
settime*
change modified date
touch*
'Available with the optional Radio Shack Development System.
Table 8: File-access control functions of four
operating systems.
Unix
Program
Version 7
Xenix
TRSDOS
set key click
click
clear screen
els
set terminal options
stty
stty
setcom
set terminal tabs
tabs
tabs*
set terminal modes
tsett
'Available with the optional Radio Shack Development System
tFrom the Berkeley implementation of Unix.
Table 9: Terminal commands.
Unix
Program
Version 7
Xenix TRSDOS CP/M
line editor
ed
ed ed
encode/decode
crypt
crypt*
permuted index
ptx
ptx*
find spelling errors
spell
spell*
non-English spelling
typo
screen editor
vi*t
'Available with the optional Radio Shack Development System.
tFrom the Berkeley implementation of Unix
Table 10: Text-manipulation facilities of four operating systems.
tab stops unless you purchase the optional Development
System. See table 9 for terminal commands.
Much program development time is spent in an editor.
A good editor makes program development much easier
and much less error-prone. Note, however, that an editor
is not a word processor. The vi editor is a very powerful
screen-oriented editor that comes from the BericeJey
Computer Science Labs. It relies on the termcap file to tell
it how to make magic things happen, even with com-
paratively dumb terminals. This editor takes consider-
able effort to learn, but once you know it well, it allows
very fast text manipulation. Table 10 compares editing/
text-manipulation facilities on four operating systems.
System Access
Unix was conceived as a timesharing system. Accord-
ingly, the access-protection facilities on Unix and Xenix
are far better developed than on either of the single-user
operating systems shown in table 11. Users have a pass-
word that may be changed by use of the passwd com-
mand. Files are protected by user (the file owner) and
by group. A user may belong to more than one group.
As a safety measure, on some systems repeated unsuc-
cessful attempts to log into a Unix system may trigger
a software disable of the terminal port being accessed.
Unix has for some time had standard support for
limited line and curve drawing on a number of different
graphic devices. Although not very comprehensive and
not nearly as user-friendly as some current commercial
packages, simple graphics can be done on a basic Unix/
Xenix system. Table 12 shows the three routines generally
available (in the Development System for Xenix).
Unix/Xenix has a general-purpose printer spooler that
works on whatever has been set up as the system's printer.
In contrast, TRSDOS has several explicit and useful in-
dividual commands. These are shown in table 13.
Unix
Program
Version 7
i
Xenix
draw a graph
graph
graph*
interpolate smooth curve
spline
spline*
graphics filters
plot
plot*
'Available with the optional Radic
) Shack Development System.
Table 12: Unix and Xenix
graphics routines.
Program
Unix
Version 7
Xenix
CP/M
sign on
log in to a new group
change log-in password
login
newgrp
passwd
login
newgrp
passwd
user
Table 11: Access-protectior
i facilities.
Unix
Version 7
Ipr
Program
line-printer spooler
print current screen
controls spooler
set to top of form
Table 13: Printer-handling commands.
Xenix
Ipr
TRSDOS
print
screen
spool
t
310 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
%r
.Calculator
r cebook
U Scienter Appffcalkms
/ tf
/"/
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7
i.
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HowtheTt55'IImakes
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Whenever you can solve
complex problems quickly and
accurately, you Ye ahead of the
game. And that's exactly what
the TI-55-II does for you. By
giving you 112 pre-programmed
functions (like definite integrals),
it allows you to take short cuts
without losing accuracy. You'll
accomplish a lot more in less
time which means increased
efficiency.
With our TI-55-II you can
tackle problems you thought
could only be solved with higher-
priced programmables. You're not
only getting the standard slide
rule functions but also statistical
Copyright © 1983 Texas Instruments
capabilities. This way you can
work out linear regressions, per-
mutations and combinations, just
to name a few
The TI-55-II also gives you
enough programmability to
eliminate a lot of repetitive key
punching. Our Constant Mem-
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on tap, even when the calculator
is turned off. So once you've
entered a formula, you can simply
put in the variables to get your
solution. The Liquid Crystal Dis-
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notations — clearly and precisely.
We also help you get the most
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Calculator Decision-Making
Sourcebook. It gives you step-
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techniques used for solving math-
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Unix
Program
Version 7
Xenix
TRSDOS
print calendar
cal
cal*
CAI
learn
learn*
system manual
man
man*
help
conversion program
units
units*
•Available with the optional Radio Shack Development System.
Table 14: Miscellaneous
software features of Unix version 7, Xenix,
and TRSDOS.
Unix
Program
Version 7
Xenix TRSDOS
CP/M
current date and time
date
date date, time
disk free space
df
df free
stat
disk usage summary
du
du
determine file type
file
file*
information on user
finger*t
input/output statistics
iostat
directory contents
1 dir
dir, stat
directory by column
let files
directory contents
Is
Is
file system ownership
quot
quot
print out environment
printenv*t
process status
ps
ps
system statistics
pstat* status
working directory name
pwd
pwd
terminal name
tty
tty
logged-in users
who
who
•Available with the optional Radio Shack Development System.
tFrom the Berkeley implementation of Uni>
c.
Table 15: Status utilities of four operating systems.
Real User System
compile sieve
cc -0 sievac -o sieve
33.0
5.4
5.9
execute sieve
sieve
10.0
9.0
0.2
simultaneous sieves
sieve&sieve&sieve&time sieve
38.0
9.0
0.2
compile terminal
cc -0 terminal.c -o terminal
34.0
6.8
6.5
one terminal
terminal 1
16.0
0.4
7.5
two terminals
terminal 2
31.0
1.2
13.5
three terminals
terminal 3
46.0
1.9
19.7
compile disk
cc -0 disk.c -o disk
36.0
6.4
6.4
one file
disk 1
5.0
2.0
0.5
two files
disk 2
8.0
3.7
1.2
four files
disk 4
13.0
75
2.1;
eight files
disk 8
32.0
15.4
4.0
simultaneous sorts
sort fl >f1s&sort f2>f2s&sort
f3>f3s&time sort f4>f4s
63.0
67
2.8
multifile sort
sort fl f2 f3 f4 > sorted .file
97.0
379
12.8
Table 16: Model 16B benchmark results. Entries in t
"he Real col-
umn represent total elapsed time; entries in the User column rep-
resent time in the
user process; and entries in
v he System column
represent kernel time. Times are given in seconds.
Miscellaneous Features
Because Unix is a fairly mature system, a lot of soft-
ware has been written for it that is generally useful but
hard to classify. Among the nice things available are
those shown in table 14. The on-line system manual is
handy for those who need access to specific manual
pages fairly quickly. Note, however, that you need to
know the name of the function you want to read about—
you can't say, 'Tell me about the utility that changes
ownership of a file." The on-line computer-aided instruc-
tion (CAI) on Unix is nice, but using it tends to be a bit
tedious. The conversion program for units is useful for
those of us who have trouble converting from one mea-
surement system to another in our heads.
Informal comparisons on other
systems have shown the Model 16B
to be about what you'd expect of a
6-MHz M68000-based machine
running Unix and using the C
language.
Unix and Xenix provide a number of valuable utility
programs that inform you about system status and cer-
tain other data. Table 15 compares the facilities in Unix
version 7, Xenix, TRSDOS, and CP/M in these areas. The
finger utility from Berkeley retrieves information from
your password file in a more readable format than con-
tained in the file itself. You can list the status of processes
running on the system with ps. This utility is useful in
general but is especially useful to the system manager.
Used in combination with the kill command, the ps utility
allows the manager to free hung terminals or terminate
runaway processes and unwanted processes. (Some
microcomputer manufacturers don't make this feature
available to their customers, claiming that their system
software security scheme could be broken if it were avail-
able. However, this feature is an essential part of any
Unix-style system and we applaud Microsoft and Radio
Shack for making it available.) A System III utility called
pstat prints out the kernel tables, which are loaded with
useful information, if you know what you are doing.
TRS-80 Model 16B Performance
We subjected the Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 16B to
an extensive list of performance tests. One of these tests
was a compute-bound microprocessor speed test (the
Sieve of Eratosthenes, used by Jim and Gary Gilbreath
in "Eratosthenes Revisited: Once More through the
Sieve," January 1983 BYTE, page 283), and others were
designed by us for this article. We have done some in-
formal comparisons on other systems available to us and
have found the Model 16B to be about what you would
expect of a 6-MHz M68000-based machine running Unix
and using the C language. The Model 16B we tested had
312 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 205 on inquiry card.
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512K bytes of memory and the 12-megabyte hard disk.
Terminal I/O was, according to Radio Shack literature,
done by the second processor in the system, a 4-MHz
Zilog Z80. The kernel seems to be particularly slow,
especially as it attends to terminal I/O. In contrast, the
kernel is rather efficient on disk I/O, but the overall
system is hampered by slow hardware. Note, however,
that long average disk-access times are a consequence
of efforts to keep the system price down— you have to
pay for the speed you get. Performance times were col-
lected by executing the test using the Unix time com-
mand. This command monitors the time it takes to ex-
ecute a process. Tabel 16 shows the results of the bench-
marks in seconds. Total elapsed time ("Real"), time in
the user process ("User"), and kernel time ("System")
are reported individually. The Sieve program is shown
in listing 1. Trie disk and terminal programs are shown
in listings 2 and 3, respectively. The disk program is
designed to provide a disk-intensive I/O load while the
terminal program is designed to provide a serial-port I/O
Text continued on page 318
Listing 1: The Sieve of Eratosthenes program used as a compute-bound microprocessor speed test on the Model 16B.
#define TRUE 1
#define FALSE
#define SIZE 8190
char flags [SIZE + 1 ] ;
main ()
{
mt
int
int
int
int
count ;
i;
iter ;
k;
prime ;
printf ("10 iterations\n") ;
for (iter = 1; iter <= 10; iter++)
{
count = 0;
for (i - 0; i <= SIZE; i++)
flags [i] = TRUE;
for (i = 0; i <= SIZE; i++)
if (flags [i])
{
prime = i + i + 3 ;
for (k = i + prime; k <= SIZE; k += prime)
flags [k] = FALSE;
count++;
printf ("%d primes. \n", count);
Listing 2: The disk benchmark program.
^include <stdio.h>
FILE
char
{
*fp [8];
*file []
"fl",
"f2",
"f3",
"f4",
"f5",
Listing 2 continued on page 316
314 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
SuperSof t FORTRAN
For CP/M-86; MS DOS, IBM PC DOS* and CP/M-80®
SuperSoft FORTRAN is the answer to the
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FORTRAN compilers for the 8086. For example,
consider the benchmark program used to test
the IBM FORTRAN in InfoWorld , p. 44, Oct. 25,
1982. (While the differential listed will not be the
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Results are as follows:
IBM FORTRAN:
SuperSoft FORTRAN:
38.0 Seconds
2.8 Seconds
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4. Compact object code and run time support
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7. Full IEEE floating point
8. Full 8087 support-available as option
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European Distributor:
SuperSoft International Ltd., 51 The Pantiles,
Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England TN2 5TE.
Tel. 0892-45433. Telex: 95441 Micro-G.
SuperS ft
FIRST IN SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY
P.O.Box1628 Champaign, IL61820 (217)359-2112 Telex270365
The current compiler allows 64K code space
and 64K data space with expansion anticipated
in future releases.
Circle 342 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 315
Listing 2 continued:
};
main
int
char
{
"f6",
"f7",
•. f8 „
(argc, argv)
argc ;
*argv [ ] ;
mt
int
int
num ;
x;
y;
num « *argv [1] - '0';
for (x « 0; x < num; x++)
fp [x] = fopen (file [x], "w");
for (y - 500; y > 0; y — )
for (x «= 0; x < num; x + + )
fprintf (fp [x], "%50d\n", y);
for (x ■ 0; x < num; x++)
f close ( f p [x] ) ;
Listing 3: The terminal benchmark program.
^include <stdio.h>
FILE
char
{
};
main
int
char
{
*fp [8];
*dev [] =
"/dev /console'
"/dev/ttyOl",
"/dev/ttyOa",
"/dev/ttyOS",
! 7dev/tty04 fl ,
f 7dev/tty05 n ,
"/dev/tty06 n ,
"/dev/ttyO?"
(argc, argv)
argc ;
*argv [ ] ;
int
int
int
num;
num = *argv [1] - '0';
for (x = 0; x < num; x++)
fp [x] = fopen (dev [x], "w");
for (y = ; y < 500; y++)
for (x = 0; x < num; x++)
fputs ("how fast are your terminal s \n", fp [x]);
for (x =0; x < num; x++)
f close (f p [x ] ) ;
316 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
SuperSof t BASIC Compiler
for CP/M-86? MS DOS, and PC DOS
Compatible with Microsoft BASIC
The SuperSoft BASIC compiler, available under
CP/M-86 and MS DOS, is compatible with
Microsoft* BASIC and follows the ANSI standard.
If you want to compile BASIC programs under
CP/M-86, PC DOS, and MS DOS, SuperSoft's
BASIC compiler is the answer.
Greater accuracy with BCD math routines
If you have used other languages without BCD
math, you know how disconcerting decimal round
off errors can be. For example:
With IBM PC*
With SuperSof t
BASIC
BASIC with
BCD math
10 A=.99
10 A=.99
20 PRINT A
20 PRINT A
30 END
30 END
Output: .9899999
Output: .99
As you can see, SuperSoft BASIC with BCD
provides greater assurance in applications where
accuracy is critical.
SuperSoft's BASIC is a true native code compiler,
not an intermediate code interpreter. It is a
superset of standard BASIC, supporting numerous
extensions to the language. Important features
include:
• Four variable types: Integer, String, and Single
and Double Precision Floating Point (13 digit)
• Full PRINT USING for formatted output
• Long variable names
• Error trapping
• Matrices with up to 32 dimensions
• Boolean operators OR, AND, NOT, XOR,
EQV, IMP
• Supports random and sequential disk files with a
complete set of file manipulation statements
• IEEE floating point available soon as an option
In addition, SuperSoft BASIC has no run time
license fee. SuperSoft's line of fine language
compilers includes FORTRAN, BASIC, C, and
Ada.
Requires: 128K memory
BASIC compiler: $300.00
SuperSoft BASIC lets me run compiled BASIC
programs under either CP/M-86 or MS DOS.
*SuperSoft BASIC is compatible with Microsoft
BASIC interpreter and IBM PC BASIC. Due to
version differences and inherent differences in
compilers and interpreters some minor variations
may be found. Machine dependent commands
may not be supported. The vast majority of pro-
grams will run with no changes.
Japanese Distributor:
ASR Corporation International, TBL Building, 7th Floor,
1-19-9 Toranomon, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 105, Japan.
Tel. (03)-5025550, Telex: 222-5650 ASRTYO J.
European Distributor:
SuperSoft International Ltd., 51 The Pantiles,
Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England TN2 5TE.
Tel. 0892-45433. Telex: 95441 Micro-G.
SuperS ft
FIRST IN SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY
P.O.Box1628 Champaign, IL61820 (217)359-2112 Telex270365
SUPERSOFT LANGUAGES: THE STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE.
Circle 343 on inquiry card.
Microsoft is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
IBM PC is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research.
BYTE January 1984 317
Text continued from page 314:
load. We noted the compile times for each program and
for various conditions of execution of each program.
These times and conditions are shown in table 16. The
Sieve was executed alone and as four background tasks,
the last of which was executed under time. The terminal
program used the console and either one or both of the
terminal ports, each set to 9600 bps (bits per second),
full duplex. The disk program wrote data to one, two,
four, or eight files simultaneously. The Unix sort facility
was then used to sort the resultant files under two con-
ditions: a simultaneous sort of each file to its own
destination file, and a multifile sort of each file to a single
destination file. We believe these benchmarks to be a fair
and accurate picture of the various activities that com-
bine to form "system performance."
Analysis
The Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 16B is a fairly well-im-
plemented and apparently well-supported Xenix system.
Business-oriented software is available from the manu-
facturer, and it should be possible to get third-party
"Unix-compatible" software for the machine in the near
future. The machine we tested was not as reliable as we
would have hoped. On several occasions, the display
screen seemed to roll like a TV with a maladjusted verti-
cal-hold control. We let the display roll for 5 to 10 minutes
and the problem corrected itself on every occasion. More
seriously, for unknown reasons, the 12-megabyte hard
disk went down for an afternoon. After a couple of at-
tempts to reformat the disk (23 minutes per attempt),
we finally succeeded and were able to reload the oper-
ating system and development software. Everything
went fine after that. This incident illustrates the three
cardinal rules to be followed by all users of nonremovable
hard disks: 1) back up your data and software, 2) back
them up again, and 3) back them up a third time and
put the media in another room.
When we opened the back of the system unit to look
at the card cage, we found that one of the rivets used
to attach a card-edge guide to the card cage wall had
come loose, leaving the card in that slot partly unsup-
ported. Such mechanical strain could result in premature
board failure.
Despite these problems (we regard them as new-prod-
uct teething pains), we thought the system was a useful
and well-executed product. Radio Shack has come a
long, long way from the TRS-80 Models I and III. With
Radio Shack's customary attention to providing software
and a wide variety of compatible peripherals, this system
could become one of the more interesting offerings in
its price class. It has already met and exceeded some of
its competition in the area of available business software.
Its only failing in addressing its target market is its use
of the standard Unix shells. A turnkey business user ex-
pects a gentler user interface, such as has been provided
by some of Radio Shack's competitors. We also have to
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liiii
318 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 331 on inquiry card.
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comment on the system manuals. There are eleven of
them: six for Xenix and the Development System, and
five for the single-user operating systems, the assembler,
and hardware owner's manuals. The manuals are long,
neat, well indexed, illustrated, and index-tabbed. They
are, however, rather difficult to use, especially for the
intended purchasers of the machine. The documenta-
tion for the hardware and single-user software is
moderately informative, but tends to brush the surface
of topics that require detailed treatment. There is no clear
documentation path, either. One manual says to read
it first (the 16B's Operator's Manual); it deals entirely
with the single-user operating systems and basic use of
the machine. Although it is relatively lengthy, the Xenix
documentation is only a mild improvement over stan-
dard Unix manuals. There are some custom-written sec-
tions, and the organization and indexing of the manuals
is much better than for standard Unix manuals. How-
ever, we feel that naive purchasers could not use this
machine without a lot of careful handholding from their
dealers. We hope that Radio Shack dealers are better able
to handle the complexities of Unix than are most com-
puter retail stores today.
Conclusions
The Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 16B computer is a
good competitor in the race to computerize America's
small businesses. Its drawbacks for an unsophisticated
user relate to the traditional Unix user interface and the
lack of any real help to a novice from the large stack of
manuals shipped with the system. Its advantages include
good initial software offerings and the support of a very
large company with many dealers and service centers.
While there is certainly better executed hardware and
software available in the same price category, Radio
Shack has a significant potential advantage in its exten-
sive support capabilities. It's not clear whether Radio
Shack can or will invest in the educational program nec-
essary to make sure its dealers can cope with the very
sophisticated Xenix environment. The Microsoft imple-
mentation of Xenix is fairly complete and has many
useful extensions to the basic Unix software set. Surpris-
ingly, to us, the Model 16B appears to be a very good
choice for people who need a small Unix development
environment. Radio Shack has done a good job on this
machine, and it deserves serious consideration. ■
References
Kernighan B. W. and D. M. Ritchie. The C Programming Language.
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1978.
Weinberg, P. N. "The Multiuser UNIX Benchmark." UNIQUE. June
1983, pages 3-8.
Steven H. Barry is a senior scientist with Systems Research Laboratories
Inc. (Eastern Division, 6231 Leesburg Pike, Suite 300, Falls Church, VA
22044). He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester and an M.A.
from California State University, Los Angeles.
Randall Jacobson is a software manager for Systems Research Laboratories.
He was educated at the University of Maryland.
320 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 152 on inquiry card.
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BYTE January 1984 321
If you write anything from
a letter a clay to a book a month
reading this could change your Uf e
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Software Review
Naturallink to Dow Jones
News/ Retrieval
Texas Instruments' new software makes it easy
to get complex financial information
by Mark Haas
One of the problems of the Information Age is that
it isn't always easy to get the exact information you want.
Several large databases, such as The Source, Compu-
Serve, Knowledge Index, Dialog, Delphi, and others,
offer their services to individual users and businesses.
Each of these databases, however, works in a different
way, using a unique command structure. In fact, even
within a single database there may be several individual
services, each working in a different way. To ease con-
nection to one of those databases— the Dow Jones News/
Retrieval Service— Texas Instruments has designed a soft-
ware package that speeds and simplifies access proce-
dures.
The Dow Jones News/Retrieval Service, a division of
Dow Jones and Company Inc., which also publishes the
Wall Street Journal and Barron's, is used primarily by busi-
nesses and individuals interested in business. This ser-
vice provides financial information on any company
listed on the New York and American stock exchanges
as well as selected over-the-counter companies. You have
access to 15-minute-delayed stock quotes, historical
stock-quote information, disclosures, and price/volume
data. The service also provides information on a large
number of industries, news stories from various finan-
cial newspapers, transcripts of "Wall Street Week," movie
reviews, weather information, and access to an encyclo-
pedia. It's all in there— if you know how to access it.
The major problem with Dow Jones News/Retrieval is
the cryptic way in which its information is accessed. To
give you an idea of how complicated this process can
get, I'll quote from the Operating Guide for the system:
1. Type the appropriate character to obtain the desired
database.
CHARACTER DATABASE
Comma (,) Common and preferred stocks
and warrants
Slash (/) Corporate and foreign bonds
Plus ( + ) Mutual funds
Small hyphen (-) Options
Number (#) U.S. treasury issues
2. Immediately type in the symbol for the desired quote.
Symbols are in the Operating Guide. SPECIAL NOTE
FOR COMMON STOCKS. To access a quote from a
specific exchange, not the composite, first type in the
number of the exchange and then the stock symbol.
No number is required for OTC stocks.
1 New York 3 Pacific
2 American 4 Midwest
To access preferred stocks add a plus ( + ) immediate-
ly after entering the symbol. For warrants add a per-
cent (%) immediately after entering the symbol. For
when issued stocks on the NY and AMEX, add a (@)
immediately after entering the symbol, for the OTC
exchange, add a V after the symbol.
3. Up to five different quotes can be obtained with each
request by hitting the space bar between each sym-
bol. Do not mix databases in a single request.
4. Hit the Return key following the last symbol in a
request.
You can imagine how much time it would take you to
get information for even a short list of stocks. Requests
for other types of information have a similarly cryptic
nature.
Enter Naturallink
Texas Instruments Data Systems Group, maker of the
TI Professional Computer, has developed Naturallink to
324 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
At A Glance
Name
Naturallink to Dow Jones News/Retrieval
Type
Simplified interface to the Dow Jones databases
Manufacturer
Texas Intruments Inc.
Data Systems Group
POB 1444
Houston, TX 77001
(713) 895-3000
Format
Double-sided, double-density, 5 *A -inch, MS-DOS formatted disk,
copy-protected
Language
Machine language
Computer
Tl Professional Computer with at least 25 6K bytes of memory,
MS-DOS, an internal a external modem (asynchronous com-
munications card needed for external modem)
Documentation
User Guide, approximately 60 pages
Price
SI 50 (includes Dow Jones membership)
make the user's interaction with Dow Jones News/
Retrieval more natural. This package provides owners
of the TI Professional Computer with an easy-to-use
method for retrieving information from the Dow Jones
database. It will dial the phone, log you onto Tymnet
or Telenet (Canadian subscribers, however, must log on
to Datapac manually), and even use your password to
connect you to Dow Jones. It can then query the database
with questions you have previously set up, store the
resulting data, and get you off line in a fraction of the
time you would need to complete the process man-
ually—with a resulting cost savings, too.
Naturallink's best feature, however, is that it enables
you to build English-like questions that are then con-
verted by the software into the cryptic commands used
by Dow Jones. This works as follows: from the main
menu, the Build Questions option presents you with the
screen shown in photo 1. The topmost window contains
the word "What" and is used to show the present state
of the question being built. Each of the other windows
contains a list of phrases used to construct queries.
Queries to the database are constructed by selecting from
the several groups of phrases shown to form complete
sentences. Queries can be built offline and stored either
individually or in groups for later use.
Phrases are selected from each window by use of the
cursor. Initially, the cursor is on the first entry in the
upper left-hand window, just below the word "What."
All questions must begin with a phrase selected from
this window. The cursor can be moved up and down
within the window by using the up and down cursor
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Photo 1: The Build Questions screen is the heart of the Naturallink
system. Divided into windows, each window contains a specific set
of phrases that are combined to form English-like sentences used to
query the Dow Jones database. Small arrows at the bottom of some
windows indicate that more phrases exist and can be scrolled into the
window. The window across the top of the screen is used to view the
progress of the sentence being constructed. The narrow window across
the bottom of the screen contains information on controlling the system
with the function and other keys. The stock list can be customized
to your particular needs.
Photo 2: Context-sensitive Help screens can be called up at any time
by pressing the F9 key. Further help is available to explain the pur-
pose of an entire screen or window by pressing Shift-F9. Help ap-
pears on the screen in its own window as shown.
keys. It can also move from the first to the last phrase
and back by use of the Home key. Additional phrases
scroll into the window when the cursor is at the bottom
of the window.
To select a phrase, all you have to do is move the cur-
sor over the phrase and press the Return key. The
selected phrase is then added to the contents of the top-
most window, where you can see how the question you
are constructing is progressing. At any point you can
press the F9 key to get help on a particular phrase, and
a window containing the help information will appear
on the screen (photo 2); alternatively, you can press
Shift-F9 to get an explanation of the particular window
you are in. You can also press F10 to back up, or undo,
the question you are constructing.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 325
Is the current quote for McGrau-Hill, Inc.
is tbe option price for Apple Computer
Commodore
: iuiu mi International
is the fundamental data for IBM
are the Dow Jones averages McDonalds Corp.
happened on wall Street week Coleco Industries
are the estimated earnings for Coca-Cola Co.
is the Disclosure II info for national Lampoon
are the headlines Texas Instruments
on tbe composite tape
on the Hew York exchange
on the Anencan exchange
on the Pacific exchange
on the Midwest exchange
over the counter
Press: F9 for Help FIB to Back Up SHIFT-Fil to Quit RETURN to Select
(3a)
'..'hat were the stock prices for
(3b)
(3c)
current quote for
option price for
are the estimated earnings for
"' i Disclosure II info for
the wall Street Journal
McGraw-Hill, Inc.
Apple Computer
Commodore
International
IBM
McDonalds Corp.
Coleco Industries
Coca-Cola Co.
on tha composite tape
on the New York exchange
on the American exchange
on the Pacific excr—
on the Midwest exc]
for each tenth in
for each quarter in
for the last 12 days
for the last 13-24 days
Press: Fll to Back Up Fli to Start Over SHIFT-Fil to Quit RETURN to Select
Uhat were the stock prices for Texas Instruments
Is the current quote for
is the option price for
tare the stock prices for
is tbe price/volume info for
il the fundamental data for
are the Dow Jones averages
happened on wall Street week
are the estimated earnings for
is the Disclosure II Info for
are tbe headlines
1
of the hour
concerning the company
covering the topic of
in the Ccocoilc Update
McGraw-Hill, Inc. on tbe composite la
International
It'i
McDonalds Corp.
Coleco Industries
on tbe As«r lean exchange
on the Pacific exchang
on the Midwest exchang.
over the counter
for each month In
for "lb idit IZ d
for the last 13-24 days
Press: Flfl to Back Up FU to Start Over SHIFT-Fil to Suit RETURN to Select
Uhat were the stock prices for Texas Instruments
■ay-Hill, Inc.
le Computer
International
on tbe composite ti
on the New York exi
ma thl Ammtlc il ixi
mre loo iuiu itilbs for Comwdore
lis the price ''vol use info for International
lit the fundamental data for IE
are tbe Dow Jones averages McDonalds Corp.
happened on Wall Street week Coleco Industries
are the est lasted earnings for Coca-Cola Co.
is the Disclosure II info for Mational Lampoon
are the headlines Texas Iwlrw
of the hour for each month in
concerning tbe company for each quarter in
covering tbe topic of for the last 12 days
in tha Economic Update for the last 13-24 days' !1 .
in the Wall Street Journal
Fl» to Back Up Fll to Start Over SHIFT-Fil to Quit RETURN to SelecJ
(3d)
Photo 3: In this sequence, a question is constructed by selecting
phrases from the various windows using the cursor. Here, the ques-
tion '"What were the stock prices for Texas Instruments for each quarter
in 1982?" is being built. Note that as each phrase is selected, the cursor
automatically moves to the next appropriate window. You cannot build
invalid questions. After the last phrase is added (in photo 3e), you
can execute the question or save it to disk using the F6 key.
Phrases can also be chosen by typing the first letter
of a phrase. If more than one phrase begins with this
letter, the cursor will move to the first entry with this
letter. Typing the second letter of the phrase will move
the cursor again, until you have identified a unique
phrase. This procedure usually doesn't take more than
two keystrokes.
After you have selected a phrase, the cursor will then
move to the next appropriate window, depending on
which phrase you have selected. In some cases, merely
selecting a phrase from the first window will complete
a query, such as "What happened on 'Wall Street
Week'?" or "What movie reviews are available?" Some-
times additional windows will appear on the screen. The
sequence of screens shown in photo 3 demonstrates how
you can build a question using phrases from several
windows.
After a question is complete, it can be saved by press-
ing the F6 key. Questions are stored individually at first
but can be arranged in groups later from the main menu
by selecting the Get Saved Questions option.
Most of the queries on Dow Jones will inevitably
revolve around a selected group of companies listed on
the various stock exchanges. Normally, this would in-
volve having the codes for these companies handy. The
Naturallink system allows you to build your own per-
sonalized group of stocks so that you can eliminate the
constant necessity of looking up stock codes (remember,
there are 6000 of them). The Create or Change Stock List
option on the main menu takes you there. As with the
rest of the Naturallink system, this operation is entirely
menu driven with choices designated by the cursor.
Besides creating a new group of stocks, an existing group
can be modified. The stock group you create is eventually
saved on disk and then appears in one of the windows
of the Build Questions screen.
326 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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Mr. T. Kodera, New Jersey Office, Hitachi America, Ltd., 59 Route 17, Allendale, N.J. 07401 Phone: (201) 825-8000 Fax: (201) 825-4781
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The User Interface
Though the entire Naturallink system could be viewed
as a user interface to Dow Jones News/Retrieval, I will
limit my discussion here to the way in which the Natural-
link system itself operates. It is obvious that a lot of
thought went into the design of this system, not only
to create a useful tool for accessing information, but also
to make it work in a way that is easy to use.
Naturallink, however, is not really a natural-language
system. It does not interpret sentences you type in.
Rather, TI has analyzed the Dow Jones system and estab-
lished a finite group of phrases that, when strung to-
gether in permissible combinations, form English-like
sentences that can be converted into the symbols under-
stood by the Dow Jones system. These phrases, the deci-
sion tables associated with them that determine what
combinations of phrases are valid, and the correspond-
ing symbols understood by the database are stored in
separate files on disk. There is every reason to believe
that the kernel of this software package could be used
with different phrase, decision-table, and symbol files
to provide a similar interface to a variety of databases.
This may be only the first in a series of Naturallink pack-
ages.
The software prevents you from
choosing an inappropriate action: if
a menu option doesn't make sense,
it doesn't appear.
The developers of the Naturallink system have taken
advantage of every feature of the TI Professional Com-
puter. Naturallink is a large system, requiring 256K bytes
of memory. A program such as this could exist only on
a 16-bit computer. Also, color is used throughout to pro-
vide status information. For instance, the active window
on the Build Questions screen has white type, while the
inactive windows have green type. A gentle beep of the
speaker warns of inappropriate actions. The TI PC's abil-
ity to mix text and graphics is used throughout to pre-
sent information on the screen in an organized way
through the use of windows. Function keys provide one-
stroke action on certain commands.
All this is achieved in a completely consistent way. The
same keys perform the same functions no matter where
you are in the system. Menu choices are selected by mov-
ing the cursor over the desired action and then press-
ing the Return key. The software prevents you from
choosing an inappropriate action. You cannot, for example,
ask for the weather on the New York stock exchange.
Furthermore, the menus themselves are dynamic. If, for
example, you haven't yet built a group of questions, then
the Delete a Group of Questions option does not appear
on any of the menus. In all cases, if a menu option
doesn't make sense given a particular set of circum-
stances, it doesn't appear.
It is generally recognized that a menu-driven system
328 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 457 on inquiry card.
Circle 147 on inquiry card.
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IBM is a Trademark of International Business Machines Corporation
is easy for the uninitiated to use but tends to slow down
the more experienced user. As mentioned earlier, TI has
taken this into consideration by allowing you to choose
menu options by typing the first letter of that option.
If more than one option begins with the same letter, then
you have to keep typing until you have uniquely defined
the option. Again, this usually requires no more than
two keystrokes. Combined with the TI Professional's
ability to buffer keyboard input, you could enter a series
of commands rapidly while the system is fetching data
from disk and it will catch up to you.
Anyone who has used the popular new generation of
spreadsheet programs— for example, Lotus Development
Corporation's 1-2-3 or Microsoft's Multiplan— is familiar
with the use of the cursor I have just described and the
keystroke option, too. Where Naturallink departs from
these other programs is in its ability to use this method
to also select from Dow Jones menus, menus that are
not an integral part of the Naturallink software. For ex-
ample, let's say you've just asked the database, "What
are the headlines concerning the company IBM?" Dow
Jones will then send you about five screens full of
headlines (which change almost every day). If you want
to read the text of the story, you normally have to enter
one of the two-letter codes appearing next to each head-
line. Naturallink, however, provides you with a cursor
to make your choice. All you have to do is scan the head-
lines with the cursor and press Return when you want
to read a particular story. How TI does this is beyond
me, but it makes the process of receiving stories extreme-
ly easy. After reading the story, you merely press F10 to
bring you back to the list of headlines— at the same point
where you left it— and continue to scan.
The Naturallink system, in essence, provides you with
the same method of selecting information from Dow
Jones as it does with its own menus. Manual selection
of menu items by entering certain keystrokes is not sup-
ported directly, however, but it can be done by entering
what is called "terminal" mode.
There are, however, a few places on Dow Jones where
you cannot get all the information you want via cursor
selection. For example, after you ask the question, "What
weather data is available?" Dow Jones presents you with
a short menu of selections, and Naturallink lets you
choose the desired item by moving the cursor. Below this
menu, though, is the instruction to enter N for national
weather or F for foreign weather. These letters must be
entered manually. Naturallink allows you to shift into
"terminal" mode very easily, however. All you have to
do is press F12. Then you just enter your choice manual-
ly. When the next menu appears, you're back in "auto-
matic" mode and can again choose by using the cursor.
At present, Naturallink's cursor selection capability is
not available for Dow Jones' encyclopedia database or
for its free-text mode. These services must be accessed
manually.
Setting Up
The Naturallink system is provided on a 5V4-inch copy-
protected disk. TI rationalizes the use of copyprotection
by stating that it is for your own good, preventing
unauthorized use of your Dow Jones account, thus act-
ing as a key of sorts.
You are provided with two copies of the master disk
and directed to make a working copy on another disk
or transfer the files to a hard disk. When you subse-
quently start the program, one of the master disks must
be in the A drive, but only until the main menu appears.
I had some problems copying the files onto the hard
disk, but eventually they all made it.
If a company wants to protect its software, fine, but
it shouldn't try to convince us that it's for our own good.
At least TI provides two copies of the master disk, and
this disk is used for only the briefest moment during
startup. Other companies force you to use the master
as the working copy.
PortaPac™
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up to 64,000 bytes of data (future versions up to 192K bytes).
PortaPac™ is light-weight, versatile, totally portable, and can retain
its content for up to 1 full year without ever changing batteries!
Key features:
• Industry standard RS232C interface with RTS/CTS handshake
• Full-duplex with baud rate from 50-19,200 switch-selectable
• Word length, parity, start/stop bits switch-selectable
• Transparent in-line or stand-alone host/terminal mode
• Totally portable • Can be used as a printer buffer • Virtually
maintenance free • Interfaces to IBM, Apple, Radio Schack
Typical Uses:
Transport of information - courier data pack • Exchange
of information • Backup /copy • Demo of software
programs/hardware devices • Printer buffer • External
storage for portable computers • Data aquisition for
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16K, 32K, 64K versions available.
Ordering Information:
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Add $8.00 for freight and handling. California residents add 6Vi%
sales tax. Allow 2-4 weeks for delivery.
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Cryptronics, Inc.
PortaPac"* is a trademark of Cryptronics, Inc. Disclaimer: Ciyptronics, Inc. shall not be responsible
for the use of its product for illicit purposes.
330 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 120 on inquiry card.
KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS INC.
Information Processing Components,
Selected for Performance and Value.
NO SURCHARGE FOR MASTER CARD AND VISA
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SOFTWARE
Ashton Tate
D Base II 389
r ridays 184
Software Arts
" K Solver 215
Solver Pac 88
Sorcim
Super Calc III 294
Micro Pro
Wordstar 258
vlail Merge 131
Spellstar 131
ill in one pack 475
MBSI
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American Training
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Crosstalk 134
temote 100
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Televideo
10 533
25 753
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Teletex
000 494
Hayes
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200 493
200B 432
licro Modem II w/T 242
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ccess 1 -2-3 Call
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Promethius Products
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alifornia Residents add 6.5% States Sales
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PRINTERS
Leading Edge
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Amdek
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ORDERING TERMS
Prepaid: Money Orders, Cashier's Checks.
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Please include Valid Driver's License i
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C' t. sfc ** ft cy &r .
fiaturalLink to Dow Joan Hew/Retrieval
Ham tie nit:
Get Saved Quest tons
Use Pou Jones Terolnal Mode
Create or Changs Stock List
Select or Change Data Storage Options
Create or Change User Profile
Create or Change Coweunlcatlons Profile
Take the Tutorial
Quit
Press: F9 for Help SHIFT-Flt to Quit RETURN to Select
Photo 4: After logging onto Naturallink, you are presented with the
Main Menu. From here you can perform the various functions listed.
Only those functions that can be performed appear on the menu. For
instance, the Get Saved Questions option appears on the menu only
when there are questions to retrieve.
The next step is to set up your User Profile, i.e., infor-
mation the system needs to establish your files. Here you
give your data file a name and store your Dow Jones
password. You also designate whether you want to log
on automatically or manually. Automatic log on is avail-
able only for Tymnet and Telenet.
In order for the software to work properly with your
system, you have to tell it what equipment you are using.
Naturallink calls this process "Creating a Communica-
tions Profile." Here you can choose between internal and
external modems, automatic and manual dialing, port
selection, choice of network (Tymnet, Telenet, etc.), and
phone number. I found it interesting that I had to
manually designate the port used by my TI's internal
modem. This requirement is strange because, in order
to determine what port my internal modem occupied,
I had to run TI's Diagnostics disk, which automatically
determines the port. If the Diagnostics software can do
this, why can't Naturallink?
Beginners are advised to use the excellent tutorial disk
provided with the system. It demonstrates the question-
building process and provides a hands-on opportunity
to use the system; helpful prompts even appear in one
of the windows on the Build Questions screen. All in
all, it provides a nonthreatening way to begin to use the
software.
A Typical Session
After you've installed your user and communications
profiles, a typical session with the Naturallink system
begins with the construction of questions. After enter-
ing the appropriate user ID and password (different from
the Dow Jones account password), you are presented
with the main menu (see photo 4). If you haven't already
done so, now is the time to create your own personal-
ized group of stocks. But let's assume this has been done
previously. The cursor is already over the Build Ques-
tions option, so all you have to do is press Return.
1
Question Gronp Operation
Delete a question
Slip lay a question
Quit
Questions In group naaed TODAY:
fund Coleco
Ql
p/y acgraw
Available questions;
81
02
03
todayl
today?
f/v ocgrau
p/V apple
fund Coleco
est earn laapoon
prices 82 Redone Ids
dj avg
HIJ
I
Priti; FS for Help Fll to Start Over SHIFT-Fli to Quit RCTJW to Select
(5a)
tuestlons in group named TODAY: j Available questions:
Uh t is the price/volute Info for McCraw-Hi 1 1 , Ik. ?
Press the RETURN key to continue.
est earn taipoon
prices BE Hddo&alds
djavg
Press: F9 for Malp F II to Start Over SHIFT-FU to felt IOJW to Select
(5b)
Photo 5: Questions that have previously been saved individually from
the Build Questions screen can be organized into groups from this
menu. Again, only those options that are relevant appear on the menu.
By organizing questions in groups, you can eliminate the need to pre-
sent each question individually. At any point you can display a ques-
tion's contents by placing the cursor over its name after selecting the
Display Question option, as shown in photo 5b.
The Build Questions screen, with its associated win-
dows, appears after a couple of status messages tell you
what is happening. Questions are constructed as de-
scribed earlier and saved onto the disk.
One of the ways to use this system most efficiently is
to arrange your questions into groups. From the main
menu you select the Get Saved Questions option, which
presents you with another menu. From this second
menu you select the Build Question Group option. This
allows you to view all the questions you saved using the
Build Questions screen, arrange them in groups, give
these groups names, and save them on disk. Photos 5a
and 5b show this process.
Once the groups of questions have been stored, it is
possible to execute a group. No, this doesn't mean lin-
ing them up and shooting them. Rather, executing a
group of questions causes Naturallink to begin the pro-
cess of automatically logging on to Dow Jones. First,
diagnostics are performed on the the TI's asynchronous
communications card or internal modem, depending on
332 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
MICROPRO' SOFTWARE BUYER'S GUIDE
Finally a data base management system
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Plus a quick report fea-
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A SYSTEM THAT SPEAKS YOUR LANGUAGE.
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A GOOD MANAGER ALWAYS DELEGATES.
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Circle 480 on inquiry card.
MicroPro,
For name of the dealer nearest you, phone (800) 443-0100 Ext. 948. For more information write MicroPro, 33 San Pablo Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94903. (415) 499-1 Z00.
which is being used. Next, assuming you have either
the built-in modem or a programmable external one, the
program dials the appropriate network, let's say Tymnet,
and establishes connection. Naturallink then directs
Tymnet to connect you to Dow Jones and uses your pass-
word to log you onto the system. While all this is going
on, a series of status messages keeps you informed of
the system's progress. After you are logged onto Dow
Jones, your group of questions is presented to the system
and the information you requested appears on your
screen.
Instead of wasting costly connect time reading this
data, however, you can simply press F6 to save the data
on your disk and proceed to the next group of questions.
After the last question is answered, you can disconnect
and review your data file at your leisure.
An excellent tutorial disk
demonstrates the question-building
process and provides a hands-on
opportunity to use the system.
At almost any time while connected to Dow Jones, you
can call up the Build Questions screen to ask individual
questions that may arise from the data you see coming
in. You can also interact with the Dow Jones system
manually, if you know the appropriate codes and have
a masochistic streak.
Documentation
After viewing TTs new BASIC manual for the PC (see
my review of the TI Professional Computer on page 286
of the December BYTE), I had high hopes for this
manual. Unfortunately, this manual suffers from the
same problems as most of TI's others. Although the argu-
ment could be made that the tutorial disk obviates the
need for a good manual, the manual should at least be
a good reference. This manual isn't. In fact, in many
places it reads like advertising copy. I think the section
I liked the best was entitled "Using the Main Menu Ef-
fectively." Oh boy, I thought, here's a way to get the most
out of the software— perhaps some sort of strategy. In-
stead I read about how the program uses the main menu
effectively by limiting the user to valid choices.
Conclusions
Now, I'm not a financial wizard. I wouldn't know a
price/earnings ratio from a gear ratio. But I do know that
TI has produced a system that makes retrieving infor-
mation easy. With this system you can
•prepare your database queries off line at great savings
•automatically dial and log onto Dow Jones News/
Retrieval
•save the data resulting from your queries for off-line
review
•prepare a personalized stock list
Naturallink lets you do this with a series of menus and
screens that allow even the novice to use it with ease.
A tutorial provides most of the information you need
to get started, and context-sensitive Help screens are
available at all times.
By combining the central logic of this Naturallink pack-
age with other phrase, decision-table, and symbol files,
it would seem possible for TI to develop a series of
Naturallink packages for a variety of databases. To do
so would mean that you could interact with a number
of diverse data services through an interface that would
always work in a familiar way. It could provide a "soft-
ware bus" to on-line databases. Now that's something
to ponder. ■
Mark Haas, a former managing editor of BYTE, is technical director of
Osborne/McGraw-Hill (2600 Tenth St., Berkeley, CA 94710).
ROM PROGRAMMER & (IV ERASER FOR THE 80s
SI 5 PROGRAMS OVER 300 DEVICE TYPES
'S, 40 PIN Ml'
rVe}cl7;][^^;lIff^|^
• Stand Alone
• 256K Buffer (200 ns)
• Integrated keypad
• EPROM simulation
• Fast algorithm
• Power down sockets
• Temp compensated
Ref. voltages
• 16 formats & 8 baud rates
• Auto-user friendly-mode
[6|VlT|€|Kl
COMPUTER SYSTEMS
CORPORATION
OVER 26 FUNCTIONS
• Edit • Delete
• CRC Check • 16 Diagnostic
• Block Move Functions
• Over Program • And More!
• Insert
(305) 994-3520
4089 S.Rogers Circle #7, Boca Raton, FL 33431
BUV-IIA $66.50
• Heavy duty
• Sat ety switch
• UV indicator
BUV-IIB $95.50
• Heavy duty
• Timer
• Safety switch
• 110/220 voltage
OTHER COMPLETE SYSTEMS
S 15 R (remote) $695
S15P (4 key) $795
S15B (bipolar) $@95
S15G (gang) $1095
334 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 51 on inquiry card.
*>
Fat City™
Knock uown buildings in your
wrecker while dodging bricks,
rocks, cans and tomatoes. 10
rounds. Poster, stickers, user's
manual, vinyl binder included.
Ages 8 and up. Only $39-95-
Old Ironsides™
Thrilling 2-player naval battle!
Use the wind, cannons, compass
to outwit rival ship. Detailed
graphics recreate true sailing ex-
perience. Poster, log book, vinyl
binder included, Ages 8 and up.
Only $39.95-
Chivalry™
The days of yore are recalled in
this unique combination of board-
game and computer game. Rescue
the king by playing 20 animated
games of skill — jousting, sword-
play, etc. 1 to 4 players. Sturdy,
colorful gameboard, playing
pieces, poster, instructions. Ages
8 and up, Only $49-95.
'SP
itSC^
?MS
&^°
Circle 481 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 335
DIGITAL BULDS THE
FWEST PERSONAL COMPUTERS
YOU CAN BUY.
And after you buy them,
nobody does more to make
sure you'll be satisfied.
That's because Digital
is the only major computer
company that supports its
promise of quality and
commitment to customer satis-
faction with a comprehensive
investment protection plan.
This plan will minimize
your risk. Relieve your con-
cerns about owning a
personal computer. And it's
included when you pur-
chase any one of Digital's
Personal Computers,
including the Rainbow™ and
the new Rainbow 100+, from
a participating dealer, distrib-
utor, or Digital Business
Center.
Digital's Rainbow now
lets you run the widest
range of popular busi-
ness software— including
Lotus™ 1-2-3,™ dBase II,™
TKlSolver ,™ and Multi-
plan™
With Digital's Rainbow,
you can choose from hun-
dreds of different software
programs because only
Digital's Rainbow can run
these five operating systems:
MS™ -DOS, CP/M^ -86/80,
Concurrent CP M*
and p-System .** That means
you'll have access to the
broadest array of solutions for
your business, today and
tomorrow
The new Rainbow 100+. More
storage and more main
memory.
The Rainbow 100 is
Eerfect for most businesses,
ut if you need more
power, Digital introduces the
Rainbow 100+. It lets you
store the equivalent of 5,000
typewritten pages on a
built-in 10 Mbyte hard disk.
You'll also run the most
advanced business programs
faster and easier— thanks
to 128 Kbytes of main
memory, expandable to
896 Kbytes.
A wider choice of options
and accessories, too.
With either Rainbow;
you get a choice of monitors:
white, green, amber, or
high-resolution, full-color
display A choice of high-
quality printers. A graphics
option that lets you create
bar charts, pie charts, and
line graphs. And more.
Including personal
computer accesso T
lies and furniture
custom designed by
Digital to help you get the
most out of your computer.
Calll-800-DIGITAL.
Ask for the Rainbow
desk and get more details
on Rainbow and Digital's
Investment Protection Plan.
Not even the world's
largest computer company
gives you so much. But the
second largest does. Digital
Equipment Corporation.
•Concurrent CP/M is available from Digital Research, Inc.
**p-System is a trademark of SofTech Microsystems, Inc.;
available from Ticom, Inc.
Rainbow is a trademark of Digital Equipment
Corporation.
1-2-3 and Lotus are trademarks of Lotus
Development Corporation.
dBase II is a trademark of Ashton-Tate.
TKlSolver is a trademark of Software Arts, Inc.
Multiplan and MS-DOS are trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation,
CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc.
© Digital Equipment Corporation 1983.
Circle 130 on inquiry card.
AND NOW YOU CAN
BUY THEM
VIRTUALLY RISK-FREE.
BDSDQBD
Investment Protection Plan
This comprehensive plan is included with the purchase of
every Personal Computer Digital makes - including the Rainbow™
Professional 1 * 1 and DECmate™ II.
One- Year On-Site Computer Warranty.
Digital will provide limited warranty service including
repair and replacement of defective parts wherever
your computer is located in the Continental US.
One- Year Software Warranty.
Digital will provide limited warranty support for operating
systems including updates to selected operating systems,
documentation and replacement of defective media.
On-Site Options Warranty.
If you add agf of Digital's personal computer options
(including printers) at the time of system sale,
these options will fee covered by your one-year
On-Site Computer Warranty. Options purchased after
system sale are covered fer 9@ dja)&
One- Year "Hotline" Advisory Service.
Digital's toll-free "Hotline" Advisory Service will
answer questions about operating systems, Digital Classified
Software and general use. There's no extra charge, use
this service as often as you like during the warranty period.
30-Day Money Back Return Policy.
Covers your entire Digital system, including Digital
Classified Software and Digital options purchased at time
of computer sale. Limited to one return per customer.
Offer expires January 31, 1984.
TKISOLVER
THE WORLD'S FIRST EQUATION PROCESSOR
FOR PERSONAL COMPUTERS
lovisioue
The TKlSolver™ program is a
professional tool that allows you
to work easily with equations.
Whether your problem is a
simple formula or a model consis-
ting of many equations, TKlSolver
can help improve your produc-
tivity. Once the equations are
written, enter the known values,
press the ! key, and TKlSolver
gives you the answer.
Engineers, scientists, architects,
financial analysts and planners,
educators, researchers, and
other professionals who use equations
and mathematical models can work more
creatively with TKlSolver.
TKlSolver provides you with:
BACKSOLVING
If the programs you use now require you to
rewrite the same equation to solve for different
unknowns, TKlSolver can dramatically improve
your productivity. Enter your problem once and
then solve for the unknowns no matter where
they are in your equation.
ITERATIVE SOLVING
If TKlSolver can't solve an equation directly, take
an educated guess at the answer. Type the I
key and the TKlSolver program starts with your
guess and performs repeated approximations
to converge on the answer.
LIST SOLVING
Given a list of input values, TKlSolver automati-
cally calculates the equation for every value in
your list. For example, if you
want to know how different
interest rates will affect monthly
loan payments, enter a list of
interest rates and let TKlSolver
calculate the payment amount
for each value.
UNIT CONVERSIONS
Any type of unit conversion -
Fahrenheit to Celsius, meters to
feet, dollars to deutsch marks,
newtons to dynes - ca n be made
without altering your equations.
Justdefine the numerical relation-
ship between two units of measure-
ment and the TKlSolver program
automatically converts the vari-
able value to the unit you specif/.
TABLES AND PLOTS
Quickly generate tables and plots of your results
on your screen or printer.
If you can define a problem mathematically,
the TKlSolver program can help you find the
answer. It's a flexible problem-solving tool that
you can apply easily to a variety of mathe-
matical problems.
AVAILABLE NOW
You can run the TKlSolver program on the
IBM® PC and XT and compatible machines,
the Digital™ Professional™ 350, the Digital™
Rainbow™ 100, the Wang Professional Computer,
Apple® //e, and on the following personal
computers using MS™-DOS: Tl Professional
Computer, GRiD Compass Computer™ Canon
AS-100, Eagle® 1600, Toshiba T300, and the
Zenith Z-100™
Software Arts!"
The creators of VisiCalc® and TKlSolver"
TK, TK!, TKlSolver, TKISolverPack, The Problem Cruncher, the stylized ! and the slogans "NOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO THINK LIKE A COMPUTER TO USE ONE !"
and "THE WORLD'S FIRST EQUATION PROCESSOR FOR PERSONAL COMPUTERS" are trademarks or reqistered trademarks of Software Arts, Inc. TKISATN and
DIF are trademarks of Software Arts Products Corp. Software Arts is a trademark of Software Arts, Inc. and Software Arts Products Corp. The TKlSolver program and the
TKISolverPack applications packages are products of Software Arts, Inc., which is solely responsible for their contents. VisiCalc is a registered trademark of VisiCorp.
GRiD Compass Computer is a trademark of GRiD Systems Corporation. Z-100 is a trademark of Zenith Data Systems. Eagle is a registered trademark of Eagle
Computer, Inc. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Wong is a registered trademark of Wang Laboratories Inc. Digital,
Professional, and Rainbow are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. MS is a trademark of
Microsoft Corporation.
338 BYTE January 1984
Circle 458 on inquiry card.
Hardware Review
The Vamp DVM-1
Computer/TV Interface Kit
Interface a computer's video and audio outputs directly into a TV
for enhanced picture quality
by Richard F. Gillette
. !' ;? J ; "^-, ' , }T
The DVM-1 kit can help you overcome the display
degradation that often disappoints users of systems
employing an RF (radio-frequency) modulator to inter-
face a computer's video output to a standard color televi-
sion. The DVM-1 lets the computer's output bypass the
TV's RF section; it applies the computer's audio and
video outputs directly to the TV's audio and video
amplifiers, eliminating the need for an RF modulator.
Shortly after I had purchased a computer for text and
graphics applications, I became disappointed with the
display quality of my RF-modulator/color-TV combina-
tion. I had no right to expect better; after all, a color TV's
tuner and IF (intermediate-frequency) stages pass only
a 4-MHz video signal to
prevent interference among
adjacent TV stations; even
the cheapest black-and-
white monitor has twice
this bandwidth. Although
the 4-MHz bandwidth is
fine for TV, most computer
text and graphics applica-
tions require a wider band-
width to take advantage of
their higher resolution
capabilities.
To solve this problem I
thought I could simply
bypass the TV's RF section
and connect the computer
signal directly into the TV's
— —
Photo 1: The DVM-1 kit, including the instruction manual.
video amplifier. Right? Wrong. My TV, like most modern
TVs, has its chassis connected directly to one side of the
110-V power line. TV manufacturers have eliminated the
60-Hz power transformer found on older models to make
the new sets lighter and less costly. If I had input the
computer's video directly into the TV, I would have burnt
out the computer and given myself a potentially lethal
electric shock. Obviously, safety considerations dictate
isolation of some sort.
My solution at the time (the DVM-1 was not yet avail-
able) was to purchase a bulky 110-V, 60-Hz isolation
transformer and wire it permanently into the TV's line
cord. The transformer would not fit in the TV, and when
it was close to the TV's pic-
ture tube, or CRT (cathode-
ray tube), it distorted the
picture. I then added a jack
(with an integral switch) to
connect the microcom-
puter's video directly to the
TV's video amplifier. The
TV had a video test point
with a composite video
signal at the same level as
the computer; thus, no bias
was required, and unplug-
ging the computer auto-
matically switched the CRT
back to TV. The results
were spectacular. It looked
almost as good as any of
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 339
I
> ■:
** If, « wr*
£■*
fy. •_£■*.
« i*^
2 ( ^
* /
■'
Photo 2: TTze assembled DVM-1 printed-circuit board, mounted in
a TV (All photos were taken by the author.)
Photo 3: The flyback-transformer pickup coil (the white twistedpair
in the center of the photo) that derives power for the DVM-1 board.
the composite video monitors I saw at the computer
store. It was just as spectacular when used with a video-
cassette recorder.
I decided to upgrade the computer monitor from a
9-inch TV to a 12-inch Sony KV-1207 TV (my daughter
was planning to take the 9-inch set to college). The larger
TV required a larger isolation transformer, and while
looking for this transformer I found the Vamp DVM-1.
This kit provides all the circuits necessary to interface
both the computer or videocassette recorder and audio
directly into the TV. The required isolation is provided
by a pair of optoisolators, one for video and one for
audio. The conversion fits inside the TV and requires no
bulky isolation transformer.
The optoisolator consists of a light-emitting diode
(LED) coupled optically to a photo diode. The isolator
can couple signals across a 3-kV potential difference,
much more than is required for the TV set.
Another feature of the DVM-1 kit is that it uses the TV's
flyback transformer to supply power for the optoisolator
LEDs and their drivers, eliminating the need to take
power from the computer (or videocassette recorder) or
to provide a separate power supply.
The kit comes in a small box complete with all parts
J2
AUDIO IN
t±
3 TURNS
ON TV
FLYBACK
VIDEO IN
t!
COMPUTER GROUND
TV GROUND
-r
L^°
OPTOISOLATOR
L
+ 12V
POWER
SUPPLY
t>-
V
%
TV
+ 12V
REGULATOR
OPTOISOLATOR
L
t
^r
MON
^
PHASE
JUMPER
"H
I
o-
AUDIO INJECTION
0-130V
POWER SUPPLY
"^7
VIDEO DET.
W—
~LfN, G ~ !f I Y MON
3,
■LEVEL
■ DC BIAS
DVM-1 PCB
VIDEO INJECTION
( "X"S INDICATE
CIRCUIT OPENED)
TV CHASSIS
Figure 1: The DVM-1 block diagram, showing interface wiring.
340 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Photo 4: Video and audio connections to the TV.
and straightforward instructions (see photo 1). Only one
printed-circuit board is involved; you just follow the parts
list and insert the components into a well-marked board,
solder, and trim the leads. You have to provide your own
solder. The assembled printed-circuit board as mounted
in my TV set is shown in photo 2.
Figure 1 shows the DVM-1 block diagram and the TV
interface wiring. The combination of optoisolators and
use of the TV's flyback transformer for the power sup-
ply to drive them provides complete isolation of the com-
puter from the TV. The computer's video and audio
signals are coupled across this interface (the dashed line
on the block diagram in figure 1) by a light beam. No
RF modulator is used, and thus cross-hatch interference
due to modulator operation is eliminated from the other
TVs in my home. The DVM-1 provides independent
video and audio level settings and includes an adjustable
bias supply for the TV's video; this feature allows an easy
interface to TVs that have their video detector operating
at a DC (direct current) voltage offset from ground. I
needed this feature to use the DVM-1 with my Sony. (See
'Add A Video Input to Your TV," Radio-Electronics, April
1983, for more technical details.)
Included with the kit are insulated jacks and a switch.
The switch allows easy selection of either monitor or TV
operation.
After the printed-circuit board is assembled, the next
step is interfacing with the TV set. For this task, the
DVM-1 manual provides a wealth of information. How-
ever, if you are not qualified to service your TV set, you
will need help. If you are qualified or if you have a friend
who is, you will have few, if any, electrical problems. The
manual provides a good section on checking the kit. All
parts are covered by warranty. Your challenge will be
mechanical: where to mount the board, the input jacks,
and the TV/monitor switch. The kit's small size enables
it to fit inside any TV suitable for use as a monitor.
I am tempted to go into detail on the installation; how-
ever, each TV will pose unique requirements. My Sony
KV-1207 installation is best described with pictures: photo
2 shows mounting details, and photo 3 shows the fly-
back-transformer pickup coil (the white twisted pair in
the center of the photo) that derives the DVM-Ts power.
As you can see, installation was easy once I decided
where to mount the hardware and route the wires. Photo
4 shows the video and audio wiring to the TV. You can
see the cut video-printed circuit trace between the two
coaxial cables (the audio trace that was cut cannot be
seen in this photo).
After I installed the interface and adjusted the video
and audio gain and the DC offset (simple procedures
explained in the manual), I found that I wanted to touch
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 341
Listing 1: A color dot-generator program written in Applesoft.
COLOR DOT GENERATOR
* TO EXIT TYPE *
* CTRLC RETURN *
* TEXT RETURN *
R.F.GILLETTE 9/25/83
10 REM
11 REM
12 REM
13 REM
14 REM
20 HGR2
30 HCOLOR= 3
40 FOR X = TO 279 STEP 8
50 FOR Y = TO 191 STEP 8
60 HPLOT X,Y
70 NEXT Y
80 NEXT X
90 END
up the TV's convergence. I followed Sony's instructions
using a software-programmed dot generator. The pro-
gram for an Applesoft dot generator is provided in listing
1. At my wife's urging I adjusted the TV's color so the
white would appear more green, as she finds green
easier on her eyes. Color monitor owners may want to
try this; all that is required is to turn down the red and
blue CRT drive controls.
While giving the interface a thorough checkout, in-
cluding a number of RF modulator to DVM-1 compari-
sons, I found horizontal instabilities on large-area graph-
ics displays output from my Apple II. The top of the
graphics display had a wave (horizontal displacement),
as photo 5 shows. This large-area graphics display was
generated using the program from listing 1, modified by
changing the step size in lines 40 and 50 from 8 to 1.
Close examination revealed that the wave could appear
with either the RF modulator or the DVM-1. The AC
(alternating current) coupled video signal from large-area
graphics upsets the DC-restore circuits in some TV sets
because the sync level (most negative level) is close to
the level of the video signal preceding it. This small level
difference can be seen on a scope, as photo 6 shows.
At a Glance
Name
DVM-1 kit
Use
Converts a television set into a composite video (not red-green-
blue) computer/videocassette record (CPU/VCR) monitor while
retaining the TV function
Manufacturer
Vamp Inc.
POB 411
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Dimensions
2/ 2 by 4 inches single-sided printed-circuit board
Price
Complete kit: S64.95 plus S2.00 shipping (S4.00 foreign)
Features
Provides wide-band video and audio channels that are isolated
from a hot TV chassis; uses two optoisolators
Tools Needed
Soldering iron, screwdriver, drills (10-, 7-, and 4-mm or %-, %-,
and y 8 "'r"ich), voltmeter, wire cutter, and schematic of TV set
Documentation
10-page manual
One solution to this problem involves a simple modi-
fication to the Apple II, and it works with both the RF
modulator and the DVM-1. The video, sync, and color-
burst signals are summed at the base of the Apple II's
video-output transistor (Q3), which is connected as an
emitter follower. Adding a fourth summing resistor
(5.6KQ, V 4 W) from Q3's base to + 5V increases the
amplitude of the sync pulse, solving the instability. I
called Apple and the person I spoke with stated that the
change is not approved by Apple; hence, such modifica-
tions to your Apple will be at your own risk.
How well does the DVM-1 coupler work? Judge for
Photo 5: A horizontal instability accompanying a large-area graphics Photo 6: A scope photo showing a laige-area-graphics video signal
display.
342 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Files f e Save:
Now you can save 50% off BYTE's regular
newsstand price of $42.00
<*•
<s> jP^
^
$*s>-
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Circle 277 on inquiry card.
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BYTE January 1984 343
*bcd«f fh i jki»iWMr«tuvwxyz
*bcd«f9hijklntiopqrstttvyxyz
ABCDEFGHIJKUWOMRSTUVUXYZ
ftBCOEFCHIJKLMHOPORSTUVUXYZ
1ZZ4S6799* -i * .•!••$**'< >*
1234567890*-! * . / ! "§***'< )*
**<>?*t3CxX* % '
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*F HOOUtATOR <CH.33>
VAMP OVH-1
Photo 7a: Forty-column text displayed on a TV screen via an RF
modulator.
Photo 7b: Forty-column text displayed on a TV screen via the DVM-1
Photo 8a: A color-graphics display interfaced to a TV via an RF
modulator.
Photo 8b: The same color-graphics display interfaced to a TV via
the DVM-1.
yourself. Photos 7a and To show 40-column text with the
RF modulator and the DVM-1, respectively. The DVM-1
provides a bandwidth in excess of 8 MHz; mine extended
past 10 MHz. These photos show the bandwidth/resolu-
tion improvement. Photo 8 shows high-resolution color
graphics from the game Mad Rat (Phoenix Software),
first via the RF modulator (photo 8a), then via the DVM-1
(photo 8b) (the TV was adjusted for as close a color
balance as possible). The shadow mask on the screen
of the color CRT reduces resolution, and TV video cir-
cuits can also reduce bandwidth. The Sony can almost,
but not quite, let you use 80-column video with the
DVM-1 adapter. (I tried a wider band video input and
obtained the same results; the TV is the limitation.)
Adding the DVM-1 to a black-and-white TV will allow
80-column operation. As you can see from the photos,
my converted color TV set has the video quality of an
expensive composite video monitor. The kit also pro-
vided me with an audio channel including volume
control.
When considering the upgrade of a TV to a monitor,
I recommend that you consult the TV's manual to make
sure you understand the video and audio circuits before
you invest in the DVM-1. If you do understand the cir-
cuits, then I wholeheartedly recommend this kit. One
note of caution: the TV set's warranty may be voided by
this monitor conversion. (My applause to Vamp, as it
noted the warranty problem in its manual.) A letter to
the TV manufacturer, however, may get you conversion
approval. In any case, most warranties do run out.B
Richard F. Gillette (311 W. Daniels Rd., Palatine, IL 60067) is an engineering
manager with Northrop Corporation's Defense Systems Division. He holds
both a B.S.E.E. in communications and an M.B.A. in operations research.
344 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Dow Tones Has Powerful Connections.
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348 BYTE January 1984
Circle 478 on inquiry card.
Software Review
The Einstein Compiler
This Applesoft BASIC compiler also serves as a helpful
programming tool
by Peter Callamaras
The Einstein compiler, one of several BASIC compilers
for Apple computers, is both easy to use and effective.
Although other compilers claim they can provide com-
piled programs that run 2 to 20 times faster than their
Applesoft BASIC counterparts, they cannot reveal what
they're doing during compilation, nor can they do any-
thing other than compile programs.
The Einstein, however, is not only a BASIC compiler:
it's a useful programming tool as well. It provides a great
deal of statistical information about the programs it com-
piles, and, when you enable the line-trace mode, you
can also use it to debug a program.
The major task of a BASIC compiler is to convert a pro-
gram written in BASIC into an equivalent assembly-lan-
At a Glance
Name
The Einstein compiler
Type
Applesoft BASIC compiler
Manufacturer
The Einstein Corporation
H340 W. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(213) 477-4539
Price
$119
Computer
Apple ll/ll Plus/lie 48K bytes
Apple III in emulation mode
One 5 ] A -inch disk drive
Format
5/4 -inch DOS 3.3 disk
Free backup disk upon return of warranty card
Audience
Novice or experienced Applesoft programmers interested in
speeding up BASIC programs
guage program. Much of the conversion performed by
Applesoft compilers is based on a series of calls to
routines in the Apple's monitor. By eliminating the need
to interpret each line of program code, the compilation
reduces program execution time.
Size vs. Speed
Although compilation speeds program execution, it
also increases the size of the original program. The Ein-
stein compiler, however, uses a code-compression tech-
nique to limit this increase; nevertheless, its compiled
versions may be twice as long as the BASIC programs
it began with. If the program is very large or made up
of a series of modules, then the modules can be com-
piled and chained as a set of integrated modules.
Modular programs are useful if you wish to later enhance
certain parts of the program: you need only compile new
modules to replace the ones you want to change. The
manual explains this feature well.
The code-compression feature can be disabled, but
program size will then increase dramatically in some
cases. In one workout I gave the compiler, the original
program took 5 sectors, the compressed compiled pro-
gram filled 12, and the uncompressed compiled version
20. I prefer to use the compressed version.
Many manufacturers claim that their compilers pro-
vide twentyfold speed increases, but you can reasonably
expect a compiled program to run about five to six times
faster than the original BASIC program. I realized an ap-
proximate fourfold increase in execution speed each time
I used the Einstein compiler. To make your own com-
parison, load a program on a cassette tape into the com-
puter and then load the same program from a disk. The
difference in the time you saved using a disk drive is
about the same as the time you'll save running a com-
piled version of your BASIC program.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 349
Number of
Primes Used
BASIC Program's
Execution Time
(seconds)
Compiled Program's
Execution Time
(seconds)
55
63.95
11.21
1006
132.7
28.07
1437
210.09
42.91
Table 1: This data compares execution times for an Applesoft
BASIC program with a version compiled with the Einstein com-
piler. Data collected from three tests using the Sieve of Eratosthenes
benchmark prime-number program show that the compiled pro-
gram runs about five times faster than the original
Ease of Use
To compile your first program, simply
1. Load the BASIC program into memory.
2 . Insert and run the Einstein program.
3 . Press "Y" (for yes) to accept the standard Einstein
parameters.
4 . Save the compiled program.
That's all there is to it. The compiled program can be
listed, but you will see only one line of code: 1 Call 4864.
This line will start the compiled program running.
To test the time savings and size differences between
BASIC programs and their compiled versions, I first ran
a program I use to predict winners in professional foot-
ball games. I have always been frustrated by the length
of time it takes the program to determine the point
spread and predict a winner when the program already
has information from the preceding four or five games
on which to base a decision. I selected six teams and
had the program predict winners of the three games.
A BASIC program averages 23 seconds to figure a win-
ner and point spread. The compiled version of that pro-
gram (the compilation took about 65 seconds) calculated
the point spread and predicted the winner in 5.3 sec-
onds. For calculations on 28 teams (14 games), the wait-
ing time decreased from 322 to 74.2 seconds— a 77 per-
cent time savings.
The second test I ran was based on the Sieve of Era-
tosthenes benchmark prime-number program (featured
in January 1983 BYTE, page 283). I decided not to run
the full 8192 prime numbers and instead ran three tests:
one with 55 prime numbers, another with 1006, and a
third with 1437. The time savings, shown in table 1, were
substantial. The execution rate of the compiled version
was about five to six times faster than that of the original.
The program did, however, expand from 3 sectors in the
original to 15 sectors in the compiled version.
Compiler Components
The Einstein compiler disk contains three separate
binary programs. The first is the Einstein program itself,
which compiles the programs. The second program,
Remark Remover, is a utility program used to remove
remarks from the BASIC program before it's compiled.
Because a program is converted from Applesoft into as-
sembly language, the compiled program does not need
the extra code required by the Remark statements. The
third program, Remake Compiler Disk, is a special utility
used to reconstruct the Einstein compiler should it be
"blown up" through a destructive error. You can
"destroy" the compiler by accidentally putting a write-
protect tab on its disk and then attempting to use it, or
by pressing the Reset key while the compiler is running.
If you damage the disk, contact the manufacturer for
a replacement. When you send in the 90-day-warranty
registration card, Einstein Corporation will send you a
free backup disk. The compiler disk is copy-protected,
not write-protected, because it constantly reads and
writes to itself while compiling a program.
While you are compiling a program, various statistics
concerning the compilation process appear on the video
display. The compilation is carried out in several phases.
In the analysis phase, variables are analyzed and stored,
and the syntax of the program is checked. If a syntax
error is detected, you can ignore it and continue the com-
pilation or you can stop immediately. The Einstein soft-
ware will compile a program with syntax errors in it.
When I tried an "incorrect" program, it compiled and
ran until the syntax error was encountered. After the
analysis, the program stops and asks whether you wish
to use any particular parameters.
The program then proceeds to the next phase, where
the variables are defined in a symbol table, which you
can examine for information about the assembly-lan-
guage program being created. Specifically, the symbol
table provides the name of each variable function in the
original program, truncated to two characters. You also
get a one-character display of the variable type. Real
numbers are represented with a blank, integers with a
percent sign, and strings with a dollar sign. A defined
function is displayed as an asterisk. The hexadecimal ad-
dress of the first byte of each variable (or variable array)
is also provided. Next to the address, the length of the
array, or variable, is expressed in hexadecimal units.
Three special notes include 17-byte For . . . Next loops,
defined functions of 8 bytes, and fixed-length strings that
are 1 byte greater than their specified size. Information
on dimensioned arrays is also included.
The program then proceeds into the compression
analysis phase and creates a set of compression optimiza-
tion tables. The final phase handles code generation,
where the compiled code is generated and stored on the
compiler disk. While the program prints each line num-
ber as it is compiled, a running tally of the percentage
of source code compiled is reported. (You can compare
this data with the compiled information in the symbol
table.) Any address reference problems are then re-
350 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
solved, and the full compilation statistics are displayed
on the screen.
The compilation statistics include information on the
amount of space occupied by the compiled program, the
area used by any global variables, the local area used
by local variables, and the area reserved for use by
dynamic strings (called the string pool). Other displayed
information details additional facets of the compiled pro-
gram. The compiler also creates a run-time library to get
the compiled program up and running. The library con-
sists of a set of machine-language routines the program
uses when it runs. The amount of space saved by using
the compression feature is also indicated.
The last phase of the compilation is the resolution of
relocation information, of interest mainly to experienced
programmers.
Once the compilation is finished, the program resides
in memory, ready for you to run immediately or to save
on disk. (I always save a program before running it.) Be
sure you give the compiled program a different name
than that of the original source program (I add the suf-
fix .com), because once you overwrite the original BASIC
source code, it is lost unless you have a backup copy.
Some restrictions apply if you use relocatable code (these
are covered in the user's manual).
A set of available compiler parameters covers the as-
signment of the printer slot, string information, ad-
dresses for the program, strings, different variable types,
line tracing, code compression, reserved memory, loops,
display addresses, and pause on errors.
The printer-slot parameter allows you to get a hard-
copy printout of the compilation information for later
use. You can select the other parameters depending on
the program you are compiling and/or your use of the
compiler for debugging purposes, such as enabling the
line-trace mode. The manual details each of the
parameters.
You can place certain embedded compiler directives
inside the compiled program. They are a series of special
annotated Remark statements that are not removed from
the source code as are normal Remark statements. For
instance, you could use one of the special Remark state-
ments to call an uncompiled subroutine from within the
compiled program. Other directives are available for the
advanced programmer; these are thoroughly explained
in the manual.
The manual is well-written and packed with informa-
tion. It will be of help to both the novice and experienced
programmer. The manual has a table of contents, an in-
dex, and an error-message section. It covers each com-
piler feature in separate task-oriented chapters. A set of
sample tables illustrates the use of the symbol table and
a set of sample programs permits practice compiling.
Conclusion
The Einstein compiler is an excellent program for con-
verting Applesoft BASIC programs into assembly-
language equivalents. It is easy to use, requiring only
three steps to compile a program (if the user does not
take advantage of the special parameter settings
available). This ease of use has prompted me to use this
program to compile all my BASIC programs to obtain
faster execution speeds.
The Einstein compiler is packed with features to sup-
port use by both experienced and novice programmers.
The parameter settings, for example, should accommo-
date the needs of any programmer. In addition, a com-
prehensive set of compilation statistics provides details
about the compiled program.
Programs compiled with the Einstein software exhibit
speed increases five to six times over those of their
Applesoft BASIC counterparts. The user's manual is well
written. In fact, it would make a good model for docu-
mentation writers to follow.
This compiler can be useful for all owners of Apple
computers, even those who don't do much program-
ming. It can speed up their BASIC programs and it might
even encourage them to start programming in BASIC.
Thus, it gives users the best of both worlds, easy pro-
gramming in BASIC combined with the speed that
assembly language affords. ■
Peter Callamaras, an officer of the Air Force, can be reached at AFCC/EPPB,
Scott AFB, IL 62225. The recipient of degrees in computer technology and
biological sciences, he recently received his master's degree in systems manage-
ment. He has been interested in computers since 1966 and used to be the ser-
vice department manager of a computer store.
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January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 351
f*^ MASTER THE "NEW ELECTRONICS" WITH McGRAW-HILL'S
Cmtempoiarv
Now you can meet the challenges
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Perform Electronic Experiments
With your first module you'll use the latest digital inte-
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major passive components, like resistors, capacitors, induc-
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as transistors and integrated circuits.
352 BYTE January 1984
Eedronics Series
Each Concept Module goes right to the heart of the
matter. You waste no time on extraneous material or out-
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What's more, laboratory experiments you perform as
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increasingly complex circuits easily and quickly.
When you have received Module 15, you also have a
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Unique Interactive Instruction
Makes Learning Easy
With each new module you will receive a McGraw-Hill
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that not only quickly communicates the facts, but makes
you feel that you are participating in a lively dialogue with
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Your ability to rapidly make this knowledge your own
Circle 239 on inquiry card.
is further aided by a strikingly original method using dia-
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Carefully indexed binders contain this material as well as
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BYTE January 1984 353
Hardware Review
The Basis 108
A sleek import from Germany combines CP/M Plus
with Apple compatibility
by Seth P. Bates
Flexibility, low cost, and abundance of software are the
qualities that have made the Apple II a success. Now
these qualities are available in a machine that comes
already equipped with a variety of upgrades as stan-
dards. As well as providing complete compatibility with
Apple II software and peripherals, the Basis 108 offers
serial and parallel interfaces, 128K bytes of RAM
(random-access read/write memory), an 80-column
display, an RGB (red, green, blue) monitor interface, and
a Z80 processor card. The Basis 108 was designed to meet
the needs of professionals rather than hobbyists, but it
is flexible enough for both.
Basis
Since 1979, Basis ("Bah-zis") Microcomputer GmbH,
of West Germany has been the exclusive Apple dis-
tributor for Western Europe. The company produced
keyboard encoders for upgrading the Apple II and
helped establish requirements for the European version
of the computer. In addition to the 108, Basis also pro-
duces two more sophisticated systems for business ap-
plications: the Basis 208 and 216.
In 1982, however, Apple began to market its own prod-
ucts in West Germany. On learning of Apple's plans in
1981, Basis decided to develop a proprietary, low-cost
microcomputer that was both hardware- and software-
compatible with the Apple II. The result was the Basis
108, which was introduced to the European market in
January 1982. It was an immediate success. A short time
later it was introduced in the United States by Basis Inc.
of Scotts Valley, California. Last summer the distribution
rights to the computer were bought by Computer Sys-
tems Designs of Ridgef ield, Connecticut, which is now
selling the Basis 108 at a much reduced price: $2595 for
a complete system. It previously cost $3500.
The Basis 108 System
The 108 is structurally similar to the IBM Personal
Computer (PC) (see photo 1), with a detached keyboard
and two 5V4-inch disk drives. It has a 50- watt power sup-
ply (the Apple II has a 35-watt supply), a motherboard
(photo 2), and mounting planes for two 5V4-inch drives.
The back panel (photo 3) provides DB-25 sockets for
serial and parallel I/O (input/output) and has cutouts for
as many as six connectors. It also has RGB, black-and-
white, and NTSC (National Television Standards Com-
mittee) video outputs; cassette I/O; a fuse socket; and
power input. Two power outlets allow you to add a video
display and printer that are switched on and off with
the system.
The keyboard was designed to meet European
ergonomic standards and is attached to the unit by a five-
foot coiled cable. The keyboard has an 18-key numeric
keypad, a 9-key cursor control block, and 15 program-
mable function keys (photo 1). The layout is similar to
that of an IBM Selectric. The cursor block provides four
standard cursor controls as well as Home, four Apple
control-code keys (for clear-to-end-of-line and clear-to-
end-of-page functions), and four directional codes. These
keys allow single-keystroke cursor control in Apple soft-
ware (standard in CP/M and Pascal), and they make a
nice "bleep" when they are used.
Basis at one time offered a beautiful European-made,
ergonomically designed high-resolution monitor with a
25-MHz bandwidth. This unit was quite expensive, how-
ever, and Basis discontinued it. I've found that the Elec-
trohome 1302-2x monitor and Taxan's RGB Vision I
monitor work well with the system, but the Electrohome
cable needs a simple modification to work properly. The
technical bulletin that explains this change is available
from Basis. The latest word from the new distributor is
354 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
that a monitor will now be bundled with the Basis 108
system.
The Motherboard
The Basis 108's motherboard (photo 2) is an economical
design that has enabled Basis to manufacture it inexpen-
sively, while offering standard features that would be
costly to add to an Apple II. Both of the motherboard's
microprocessors (a 6502 and a Z80) reside on the board,
and both have direct access to the bus and address lines.
Apple Emulation
The 6502 mimics the operation of the Apple II pro-
cessor, providing the same clock rate (1 MHz) and mem-
ory-mapping scheme. The monitor program for this pro-
cessor resides in ROM (read-only memory) and fully
supports both 40- and 80-column operation. The Z80 is
dormant while the Basis is in 6502 mode.
.
At a Glance
Name
Basis 108
Manufacturer
Basis Microcomputer GmbH.
Muenster, West Germany
American distributor
Computer Systems Designs
99 Danbury Rd.
Ridgefield. CT 06877
(203) 431-4540
Standard system configuration
Basis 108 system unit with I28K bytes of RAM, two disk
drives, monitor, keyboard, and power cables, CP/M Plus,
Perfect Software packages, system disks, and operator's manual
Price
S2595
Processors
6502 (1 MHz) and Z80 (2 MHz)
Memory
128K bytes of RAM installed; sockets for 12 K bytes ROM- or
EPROM-based software
Features
Text and graphics options. Black-and-white, NTSC, and RBG
video outputs. Game-control socket with 3 TTL inputs and 1
TTL output. Cassette, serial, and parallel interfaces. Six Apple II-
compatible expansion slots. Detached keyboard with numeric
keypad, 15 function keys, and a cursor-control block
Software Included
CP/M Plus operating system; Perfect Writer, Perfect Calc, Perfect
Filer, Perfect Speller; three disks of system utilities
Software options
Write Away word processor (by Midwest Software):
Hardware options
256K-byte RAM pseudodisk board:
Basis green-phosphor monitor:
SI75
S695
S995
Photo 1: The Basis ("Bah-zis") 108 is a microcomputer, configured
like an Apple II, with Z80 and 6502 microprocessors and 128K bytes
of RAM. The 108 comes with two Basis disk drives. The earlier model
(shown here) has Micro-Sci drives. The keyboard provides all the fea-
tures required of a business system.
Photo 2: The motherboard's expansion slots (similar to the Apple
II's slots 2 through 7) are at the left. The character -set ROM chip
is just above and to the right of the top expansion slot. Sockets for
resident software in ROM are at bottom center', just below the Z80
processor. The 6502 chip is at right bottom, and the memory chips
are just to the right of the center (shown here with only 64K bytes
of memory).
Photo 3: The aluminum casting of the chassis is finned for strength
at the rear. A cutout provided for a fan is not used (or needed). Six
cutouts for DB-25 connectors are available, as are cassette, composite
video, and RGB connectors. A flat-cable clamp can hold any loose
wires and cables not using the connectors provided. Along with an
easily accessible fuse, two switched outlets are provided in this Euro-
pean version. The U.S. version provides 110V outlets in their place.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 355
Basis Users Groups
NY B.U.G.
William Cook, President
239 Demarest Ave
Closter, NJ 07624
(203) 729-1600, ext. 286
(201) 767-0176
California Basis Users Group
Jim Fitch
35 National St.
POB 3068
Salinas, CA 93912
Table 1: A list of users groups for the Basis 108. These users groups
receive technical and customer-support mailings.
Hardware products tested
Apple Graphics Tablet
Echo II voice synthesizer
Grappler
Amlyn disk controller
Hayes Micromodem
Applecat modem
J-Cat 1200 bps modem
Table 3: Apple peripherals found to be compatible with the Basis
108.
Graphics modes
40 horizontal by 48 vertical
— 1 5 colors
80 by 48
— 15 colors
280 by 192
— 6 colors
Combined text/graphics modes
40 by 40 plus 4 lines of 40 characters
80 by 40 plus 4 lines of 80 characters
280 by 160 plus 4 lines of 40 characters
280 by 160 plus 4 lines of 80 characters
Table 2: The graphics and text modes for the Basis 108.
Software products tested
Wordstar (Apple version for Videoterm 80-column card)
Apple Visicalc
Word Handler
Magic Window
Educational software from Spinneker Software and
The Learning Company
Cfox and Aztec games
(Frogger and Pie Writer do not work with the Basis 108.)
Table 4: Apple software found to be compatible with the Basis 108.
CP/M
The Z80 has a clock rate of 2 MHz, the rate used by
Microsoft's Softcard for the Apple II. It runs under a
customized version of CP/M Plus (or CP/M 3.0), which
is standard with the machine. This version of CP/M
makes full use of the machine's 128K bytes of RAM by
using a bank-selection technique. That is, small parts of
the 128K memory are automatically switched into and
out of the 64K memory space of the Z80. Fortunately,
this procedure is user transparent.
This version of CP/M furnishes several other features,
including three levels of file protection (password-based),
three modes of automatic date and time stamping (a
clock board is not required), and a 44K-byte print spooler.
[Editor's Note: According to Basis, two versions of CP/M Plus
are offered. One has a printer spooler for the parallel port and
a real-time clock. The other has a spooler for the serial port
but no clock, because it handles the timing of the serial
port. . . . R.M.]
When running under CP/M, the Z80 uses the 6502 as
a high-speed processor for I/O. The 6502 acts as an in-
terface between the Z80 and the keyboard and the
parallel and serial ports. When you start CP/M opera-
tion, the 6502 loads the operating system from disk and
then passes control to the Z80. The Z80 then accesses
memory directly but uses the 6502 for I/O functions.
Processor timing is critical in this system; the 6502 is
a dynamic processor and would "lose itself" if it were
not refreshed periodically. The Basis version of CP/M in-
cludes instructions to ensure that the Z80 controls the
6502's refresh process.
Text and Graphics
The Basis 108 provides four software-selectable char-
acter sets. They are programmed in a memory chip, a
2732 EPROM (erasable programmable read-only mem-
ory), which can be replaced or reconfigured by the user.
In fact, Basis users groups (table 1) are developing some
alternate character sets. The standard set includes the
64 Apple characters, the 128-character ASCII (American
National Standard Code for Information Interchange)
set, a full set of APL characters, and a special set of Ger-
man characters. French, Spanish, Swedish, and Italian
character sets are available from Basis in Europe.
The video-text-screen memory resides in static RAM
chips, parallel to main memory, and is refreshed by high-
speed interleaving. Video outputs are available for black-
and-white, NTSC-color, and RGB monitors. The black-
and-white mode provides a true gray scale for very
professional-looking black-and-white graphics. Table 2
describes the various graphics and text modes.
Resident Software and RAM
In addition to the character sets in ROM, the Basis pro-
vides for up to 12K bytes of ROM-based software (or
firmware). As mentioned above, the Basis 108 also comes
with its own monitor program in ROM, which lets the
user choose between a 40- or 80-column display. This
selection may be made during initial system booting or
any other time by pressing a certain key sequence. The
owner's manual includes a complete listing of the moni-
tor program code.
356 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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The standard system comes with 128K bytes of RAM,
which is handy because CP/M Plus takes up a sizable
portion of the lower 64K bytes. Basis also offers a 256K-
byte RAM-disk board for $695.
Bundled Software
The Basis 108 comes with a bundle of software from
Perfect Software. This set includes Perfect Writer, Perfect
Speller, Perfect Calc, and Perfect Filer.
Expansion Slots
The Basis 108 has six slots that accommodate Apple
expansion boards. They are equivalent to slots 2 through
7 of the Apple II. Since the connections for these slots
are supposed to be identical to the Apple's, the Basis 108
should be 100 percent compatible with Apple II boards.
I tested these slots with several products (see table 3).
Of course, any board that must go into slots that corre-
spond to the Apple's or 1 slots will not work; but since
the Basis already has an extra 16K bytes of memory
(which would go into slot 0) and a parallel printer port
(slot 1 on the Apple II), this discrepancy in the number
of slots should not be too much of a problem.
The system is configured to recognize the serial inter-
face at logical slot 9. This interface provides two hand-
shake circuits and transmission rates from 50 to 19.2K
bps (bits per second). Several cards useful in an Apple
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already provided. These cards include serial and parallel
interfaces, a RAM card, and an 80-column uppercase/
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should meet the needs of most users.
Optional Hardware and Disk Systems
Until the spring of 1983, the Basis 108 had been sold
in versions with a choice of two disk drives, one, or none.
It is now sold in only one version, which will provide
two German-built Shugart-based disk drives offering 100
percent Apple compatibility and is controlled by a pro-
prietary diagnostic controller card that automatically
checks all system functions on power-up. This facility
can be disabled or accessed at any time while the
machine is on. The controller is built for Basis by Pro-
metheus, which also developed the popular Ap-
pleshurance disk controller.
One slot of the 108 is taken up by this diagnostic disk
controller, but since parallel and serial interfaces and a
full 128K bytes of memory all reside on the motherboard,
the five remaining slots are free for more exotic uses,
such as modem cards and A/D (analog to digital) con-
verters.
Eight-inch disk-drive controllers for the Apple will
work with the 108, although such drives will not fit the
108's front-panel 5V4-inch cutouts. Basis uses 8-inch
drives in its 208 and 216 models and might decide to offer
an 8-inch modification kit for the 108 as an option.
Another interesting possibility would be to use two
half -height 5V4-inch drives in one side of the 108 and a
5V4-inch hard disk in the other, thus providing a power-
ful, compact system. Davong, Xebec, and Corona hard-
disk drives should all work with the 108, but since CP/M
Plus is new, no manufacturer has yet written the BIOS
to interface its hard-disk drive to this operating system.
Apple users who own the Microsoft Sof tcard (and hence
have the old CP/M version 2.2) can use the hard-disk
drives immediately. The Amlyn 8-megabyte removable
minipak drive works beautifully with the system and has
been popular.
For those seeking 16-bit computing compatibility,
Metamorphic's 8088 card for the Apple works without
problems. It provides MS-DOS, the 16-bit UCSD P-sys-
tem, and CP/M-86 compatibility. With this card, the Basis
contains three separate and independent processors— a
6502, a Z80, and an 8088. It would also be compatible
with seven of the current predominant operating sys-
tems—Apple DOS 3.3, Apple Pascal, CP/M, Turbodos,
MS-DOS, CP/M-86, and 16-bit Pascal.
Software
Besides the CP/M Plus disk, the 108 comes with three
disks of system utilities. One, The Filer from C.P. Soft-
ware contains three excellent disk-management utilities,
an operating system compatible with Apple DOS 3.3,
and an Apple-compatible floating-point BASIC inter-
preter. Unfortunately, this operating system and BASIC
interpreter cannot be used apart from these utilities. Pur-
358 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 53 on inquiry card.
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InfoStar $ 279
InfoStar (8") Special $ 249
CIS Cobol $ 689
Forms II $ 159
C Lattice Comp. IBM PC . $ 395
"C" Compiler $ 239
WordStar Professional
(WS.SS, MM, S1) ....$399
ReportStar $ 199
Starlndex $ 129
PlanStar Call
StarBurst Call
InfoStar Plus Call
m
256K RAM Bd $ 256
256K RAM Bd Full Parity . $ 305
BabyBlue $ 600
BabyTex $ 600
Baby Talk 3270 BISYNC $ 895
8" Disk Controller $ 395
We also make EIA RS 232 or RS 449 cables to your order, can supply you with
ribbons, printer stands, print wheels, thimbles for all printers listed. Plus
many, many more items. Most items In stock. CALL NOW.
All items shipped freight collect either motor freight or UPS unless otherwise speci-
fied. All prices already include 3% cash discount. Purchase with creditcard does not
include discount. Virginia residents, add 4% Sales Tax. For fastest delivery send
certified check, money order or bank-wire transfer. Sorry, no C.O.D. orders. All
equipment is in factory cartons with manufacturers r^^^^j
warranty (honored at our depot). Prices subject to i ^5* 'rfC*£T^'
change without notice. HWHi, l S-^r< J
^T€BniflBLS
\'mmmg
J
Terminals Terrific, Inc., P.O. Box 216, Merrifield, VA 22116
Phone: 800-368-3404 (In VA, Call Collect 703-237-8695)
chasers wishing to use Applesoft BASIC for program-
ming must purchase the software on disk or in ROM
chips. A ROM chip set is available from Computer Dis-
count Products (860 South Winchester Blvd., San Jose,
CA 95128) for about $125. The Apple UCSD Pascal can
be purchased on disk as well, for about $230.
Another disk that is provided, the System Booter, can
reconfigure a 40-column Apple BASIC interpreter to a
40/80-column selectable version for the Basis system.
Most users, however, will want the dealer to take care
of this reconfiguration because the booter runs only
under Pascal. But if you own Pascal, you can do your
own configuration.
The remaining disk is the Basis utility disk, which
modifies the Apple UCSD Pascal operating system to rec-
ognize special features of the 108. Also, this utility will
modify Apple DOS 3.3 to recognize the serial port at
logical slot 9 and to allow the saving and retrieving of
upper- and lowercase-text files.
Advanced users will probably want to turn their mod-
ified Applesoft BASIC interpreter into an EPROM chip
set and thus end up with a system that strongly resem-
bles an Apple II Plus.
A software deal that is offered by Basis is Perfect Soft-
ware's CP/M-based products, including Perfect Writer,
Perfect Speller, Perfect Filer, and Perfect Calc as a package
with the 108 for $275. Basis users should stay in touch
with the company (or dealers) because more software
is being optimized for the systems.
Dealer Support
Basis is establishing a dealer network and is most in-
terested in dealers who will provide full-service system
support. The former distributor maintained a commit-
ment to its dealers to provide parts replacements within
24 hours of a request.
Conclusions
The Basis 108 is a beautifully designed and constructed
product that offers Apple II and CP/M compatibility in
addition to features that both writers and businessmen
need. Some users will be disappointed by the system's
size and weight (it's a bit larger than an Apple II). But
professionals and hobbyists will appreciate the quality
of its construction, and both its structural and electronic
design. The system is also ideal for school and univer-
sity applications.
The quality of the video section is excellent, and the
40-character Apple-like screen is stunning. The chassis
cutouts allow the disk drives to be installed inside,
resulting in a clean, attractive appearance. The detached
keyboard, in addition to being well thought out, is a ma-
jor improvement on any Apple II upgrade. The Basis 108
may indeed provide more built-in flexibility than any
other computer on the market. ■
Seth Bates (Division of Technology, San Jose State University San Jose, CA
95014) is a doctor of industrial technology. His interests include programming,
trvut fishing, and reading science fiction.
360 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 492 on inquiry card.
ntroduci
ULTRAFRAM
the multitasking,
for system
TM
Mainframe-like Chassis
Engineering Attractive
aluminum chassis offers
continuous-duty capability 1 ,
plus all the flexibility you'll
need in one desktop system.
Tailor a package to your
unique needs. Even put your
name on the front.
i:
feKr&
sfiffife
Both 8 and 16 Bit Capability .
Our system is designed to >
accomodate both 8 and 16
bit Slavenet processors at
the Same time. Gives you
access to the widest range of
software with upward mo
bility in the s|ame chassis.
Low Cost Per User Give
your customer high per-
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user than any micro net-
work. They get true multi
user, multitasking operation
plud shared resources — and
you get a cus
tomer for life
High Capacity Power Supply
Engineered to support maxi
load under continuouspperr
ation with two-level filtra-
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Power regulation heat sunk
to c
lassis
BACKSTOP™ - Video
Archiving Plug in any'stan
dard video recorder to ar-
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Fast, low-cost backup system
for hard disks (optional)
(mi's
Integral 5" & 8" ft o pr jv
Drives Your
8" hal.f-nei;
to 1.2 MB capaci
uses up
cessor board
ght
choi|ce of
clr
ty-
to 32 Users— (in Parallel
Ot.r multiprocessor system
toTaSlavenetP'prp-
5" or
up
3 siavenetr
|s — |eacn ;
complete Z80 computer wip
64K RAM per user -4 to
maintain fast, multi-user per
formance as
or tasks. Both 12 and 20
slot S-100 models available.
you
add user ;
Fast, High-Capacity.
Disks Full renge of fa:;t 5"
Winchester drives
&
10 to 120 MB (formatted),
including new high-capacity .
models. Most
have provision for adding a
second privi later on Alsb,
.drike models f romJL4
MB to 1,160 ME
Faf t, Multip n
ySTerns
NET? 1 and
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5" models
ocessor C )per; t-
Wec
TubotiOS 11
proven n iulrlproc* ssor
operating systems foi fast
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Access to all UCSD-Pasca|™
and CP/M™ software.
Dtial WhisperfaijCooling
T^o hi;>h-c;tpaci ty fans as-
sure adequate cooling for
arpund -the-block ope r atioh
Maximum air flow around
all drives and critical
components
UCSD-Pasca\™ ts a trademark of the Regents of U. of C.
CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research, Inc.
TURBODOS is a trademark of Software 2000.
IBS is a trademark of IBS, Inc.
Three- Year Warranty IBS
gives you the clincher — a
premium warranty to back a
premium product. At a com-
petitive price. Ask about !
our dealer support program.
ULTRAFRAME4
INDEPENDENT BUSINESS SYSTEf
Call collect (415) 443-3131 TWX. 910-386-6003 IBSNET
5915 Graham Court Livermore. CA 94550
Bubbles on the S-100 Bus
Part 1: The Hardware
Build a fast-access 128K-byte bubble-memory board
for your S-100 system
Before beginning work on this ar-
ticle, I checked back issues of BYTE
for any previous articles on the sub-
ject of bubble memories. It was a
short list— the loneliest number of all.
A. I. Halsema's "Bubble Memories:
A Short Tutorial" (June 1979, page
166) contains a lot of good informa-
tion on how bubble memories work.
There was an earlier mention of
by Louis Wheeler
bubble memory in BYTE. The July
1977 issue contained an editorial by
Carl Helmers, entitled "This
Elephant Never Forgets." In it he dis-
cussed the then-new Texas Instru-
ments TBM0103 bubble-memory
chip. The editorial wound up by call-
ing for some "technologically enter-
prising reader" to "purchase the early
sample versions of the bubble mem-
mma&g&m
Photo 1: The Intel Magnetics Inc. BPK 72 Bubble-Memory Prototype Kit comes complete
with a 4- by 4-inch PC board, all components, and extensive documentation. A simple inter-
face and some software are all you need to build an S-100 disk emulator.
ory chips along with documentation,
and design a homebrew computer in-
terface which we can publish for the
benefit of all BYTE readers." Ap-
parently, no one ever answered the
call. Perhaps that early version was
either too expensive or the circuit re-
quirements too complicated. Any-
way, here's (perhaps) the article he
requested.
In part 1 Til provide some basic in-
formation on bubble memory in gen-
eral. Using Intel's BPK 72 Bubble-
Memory Prototype Kit (see photo 1),
I'll show you how to build a 128K-
byte bubble-memory board for your
S-100-bus system. Part 2 will cover the
software testing and modifications
necessary to realize the potential of
the bubble-memory system. The
completed project will function as
either a floppy-disk replacement (or
augmentation) or a cache memory.
Since the 1979 article and 1977
editorial were written, Texas Instru-
ments has dropped out of the bub-
ble-memory business. However, in
1979 Intel introduced its first bubble-
memory system and, fortunately, has
kept the concept alive. The Intel
Magnetics Inc. version, the 7110
Megabit Bubble Memory, stores
1,048,576 bits (128K bytes) of data and
has a transfer rate of 100,000 bits per
362 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Want to hook IBM?
Tferminals. Personal Computers.
ASCII devices. Hook them all into the
IBM world with the new AVATAR™
PA1000 Protocol Converter.
The PA1000 provides low-cost
IBM 3278/2 terminal emulation and
coaxial connection to an IBM 3274/
3276 cluster controller. Then, a single
keystroke switches you back into the
asynchronous world through an auxil-
iary RS-232-C port to access other
computer systems, public information
services or copy a screen to a printer.
Our microprocessor-based unit
provides user-selectable rates up to
9600 baud, terminal keyboard configu-
rations, screen management and local
or remote print functions. And, you can
hook the PA1000 to a modem for
remote dial-in access.
Simple, economical access to the
world of IBM, just when you thought
there was no answer. At $995, getting
hooked has never been so affordable.
For more information on our AVATAR
PA1000 Protocol Converter, contact
3R Computers,
18 Lyman St.,
Westboro, MA 01581.
Qr call us at
(617)366-5300.
TWX 710-390-0375.
VATAR
Making IBM smarter since 1983.
© 1983 RRR Computers, Inc. Avatar is a trademark of RRR Computers, Inc.
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corp.
Circle 4 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 363
second (bps). That's a lot of data to
store in one small component. It has
more than 10 times the capacity and
twice the speed of the earlier TI bub-
ble memory. Although bubble mem-
ories have been slow in coming for a
number of reasons, including diffi-
culties in fabrication and the cost of
manufacture, it appears that they
have finally arrived.
What Will It Cost?
Recently, several ads for disk-
emulator, disk-simulator, and
cache-memory systems have ap-
peared in computer magazines. The
prices of these systems range from
$900 to several thousand dollars.
Since March of 1983, 1 have seen two
ads for bubble-memory boards: one
for the Apple and one for S-100
systems. The Apple board, Bubdisk,
from MPC Peripherals, lists at $875
and was reviewed in the July 1983
BYTE on page 226. When I called the
company advertising the S-100 board,
I was informed that lack of interest in
the board had caused the company
to discontinue marketing it.
How do these prices compare with
this project? The latest price I have for
the Intel BPK 72 Bubble-Memory Pro-
totype Kit is $550. The S-100 pro-
totype board and other components
will cost about $50. The approximate
total cost of $600 compares favorably
with the disk emulators and bubble-
memory boards now available.
The bubble-memory
board is piggybacked
onto the S-100
wire-wrap board.
Inside the Bubble
Bubble-memory technology is a
highly compact, reliable, nonvolatile
storage medium. It is more properly
called magnetic-bubble memory be-
cause it stores data in the form of
movable magnetic domains on a thin
film of magnetic material divided into
tiny magnets. The word "bubble"
comes from the fact that viewed
under a microscope these magnetic
domains resemble tiny bubbles (Don
Ho, take note). The bubbles are
moved about under the influence of
an external rotating magnetic field.
The small internal magnets
themselves do not rotate, only the
magnetic field, which is created by
phasing currents through two coils
surrounding the film of magnetic
material. This nonmechanical aspect
of bubble memory is what makes it
so reliable when compared to other
high-capacity storage media such as
the floppy disk.
For many applications, bubble
memories afford a number of advan-
tages over both floppy disks and
cache memories. Bubble memories
are two to four times faster than
floppy-disk drives. They are also
many times more reliable because
there are no heads to load and move
or disks to turn and, therefore,
nothing to wear out. A bubble-mem-
ory system's compactness lets it easily
fit inside a computer enclosure
without the usual boxes and cables
that can clutter up your desk. Both
floppy disks and bubble memories
Diskette
Users—
When you've
heard from
all the
animals in
the diskette
zoo, but you
need fast
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diskettes...
Call Communications Electronics
Diskette order desk
800-521-4414
In Canada 800-265-4828
Choose your brand
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Product Description
8" SSSD IBM Comoetlble 12B8/S. 26 Sector
B- SSSD Shugarl Compatible. 32 Hard Sector
6- SSDD IBM Compe hole (128 B/S. 26 Sectors,!
6- OSDO Soft Sector (Untormated)
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5fc- SSSO Soh Sector w/Hub Ring
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5'/.- SSDD Sort Sector Flippy (use both sides)
5V.-SSDD 10 Hard Sectorw/Hub Ring
Sv«" SSDD 16 Herd Sector w/Hub Ring
5%" OSDO Soil Sector w/Hub Ring
5 v." DSDD Seme as above, bul bulk product
5ft" DSDD 10 Hard Sector w/Hub Ring
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5V.-SSDD Soil Sector w/Hub Rlng(96TPI)
SV.-DSOD Sofl Seclorw/Hub Rlng<96TPI)
5W FllewereOlskeltalor Acpie' LisaComputer
For more information
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diskettes ssl
$1.29 each
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Webeth 100 price
Parts per disk (t)
Fill 1.69
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F144 299
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M11A 1.49
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M16A 3.69
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CE...your best source for diskettes
For you the diskette buyer. It's a jungle out there. There are so
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find a good brand at a reasonable cost Fortunately, CE has already
hunted fortha bestdiskettesand offers you an excellent choice at
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Other Useful Computer Accessories
or ih. DC30OAU.U nmiosa t*
thicker*- computer li » Th. OCJOOAeoi
DCJOOA. Th. DOOOXL provkj.i < lot.ltlong.
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Quantity Discounts Available
Our diskette, are packed 10 dltka to a carlonand 5 or lOcaitona to a case. The
economy bwlkpeckl. packaged 1 00 d Ilka it) a ease wilhoulenveiopeaor label*.
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exception otbulk pack, weereaiao wlillitg to.ccommodeteyoursmellerordere.
Qu.nthl.i •«« th.n 1 00 u nil » ire available In Increment o f 10 unria at e 20% aur-
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or nwredleki.altheaamellrne end deduct 1%:6<3ooimon»»«v«syou2»;t .000 or
more aavea 3%; 2 .000 ormoreaava*4%:6.000 ormoraaa vea 6SK 1 .000 ormore
a* v»»5%;60.000 or mweMva.7*. 100.000 or moigum a*. 500.000 ormor.
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Pen • per disk (I)
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Buy your diskettes from CE with confidence
Ipget the laslest delivery from CE ol yourcompulerproducts. werecommend
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100 envelopes. For printers add 120 00 eeclilor UPS ground shipping snd
lisndllng in the continental U.S. For Canada. Puerto Rico. Hawaii Alaska, or
APO/FPO deliveiy, shipping charges are three times continentel U.S. rates
Mall orders to: Communications Electronics, Box 1002,
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 U.S.A. If you have a Visaor Master
Card, you may call and place a credit card order. Order toll-free
in the U.S. Dial 800-521-4414. In Canada, order toll-free by
calling 800-265-4828. If you are outside the U.S. orin Michigan
dial 3 1 3-973-8888. Telex anyllme 81 0-223-2422. Order today.
CopyilghlM9S3 Communications Electronic*- Ad a102783
a
COMMUNICATIONS
ELECTRONICS™
Computer Product* Divimlon
BIS Phoemi □ Bo. 1002 □ Ann Arbor Mcnigsn 48108 USA
€f
*Dym
Burroughs
diskettes s,i
$2.09 each
rt"!
FO-101
FO-10S
FD10S
FD109
FD 110
FD-111
FO-112
MFD-12
HFD-13
MFD-14
MFD-1S
MFD-16
MF020
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Perl* per disk (|)
602062
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800-552-221 1
In Cellf omle 406 970-0096
364 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
800-448-1422
im-4pm ET
Circle 70 on inquiry card,
A portable computer needs
a portable surge suppressor.
The PC Saver line cord.
The beauty of your portable computer
is that it goes everywhere you go.
Unfortunately, it meets power
line problems all along the way.
In a recent PC Magazine cover
story it is estimated that 70-90% of all
microcomputer malfunctions can be
traced to power line problems. Prob-
lems that are magnified with a port-
able, since you never know what
situation awaits you.
With the PC Saver, power line
problems are no problem.
No matter where you plug in your
portable computer, the PC Saver im-
mediately acts to suppress surges,
spikes and line noise. This prevents
damage and allows your computer to
function at its maximum efficiency
The PC Saver clips surges and
spikes to a safe 133 Volts RMS/175
Volts DC level in less than 50 nano
seconds. An 1' type filter attenuates
common and transverse mode noise
by a minimum of 20dB from 600 kHz
to 30 mHz with a maximum attenua-
tion of 50dB. All the circuitry con-
forms to standards established by the
IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Elec-
tronics Engineers) and UL (Underwri-
ters Laboratories).
The PC Saver is as portable as
your portable.
The PC Saver is.so light and compact
it will fit right into your briefcase.
We've put all the protective circuitry
right into a power cord. To use, simply
replace your factory supplied cord
with the PC Saver line cord.
Will PC Saver fit your computer?
The chances are it will. Almost
all portable computers, Compaq,™
Kaypro,™ Eagle,™ Corona,™ Hyperion,™
Columbia Data Systems,™ and others
use the standard style power cord.
A ffordable
protection
$49.95 is a small
investment for keeping
your portable at top efficiency.
You'll find the PC Saver line cord
at computer stores everywhere.
Or order direct from Kensington
Microware Ltd., 251 Park Avenue
South, New York, N.Y 10010, Phone:
(212) 486-7707, Telex: 236200 KEN
UR. For phone or mail orders please
include $2.50 shipping and handling.
New York State residents add sales tax.
Visa and MasterCard accepted.
^KENSINGTON
km MICROWARE
© 1983 Kensington Microware Ltd.
Circle 210 on inquiry card.
Why it's worth every nickel.
If you laid every nickel this
terminal cost end to end, it would
lead to a real bargain.
Because if you're the kind of
professional who buys an Ann
Arbor terminal, you put the em-
phasis on what you get out of it.
Not what it costs to get into it.
The best way to explain that
is by telling you about one of our
best-selling terminals: the Ann
Arbor Ambassador™.
The Ambassador offers in-
credible value for the money.
Starting with a full 15-inch screen,
portrait or landscape. A 60-line
display with vertical zoom. (You
won't find that anywhere else.) A
hard-working keyboard with
dozens of programmable keys.
Then there's the fully
buffered peripheral port with
separate, user-settable baud rate.
ANSI-standard coding. Multiple
page and window capability.
Pause and Meta functions. Tilt-
swivel or rack mounted frame.
And dozens of other ergonomic
features that have made the
Ambassador a favorite among
value-minded professionals
nationwide.
Now that you know all that,
take another look at the nickels
on this page and ask yourself this:
Is it really true that money
can't buy happiness?
For more information about
the Ambassador and our other
fine terminals, write Ann Arbor
Terminals, Inc. at 6175 Jackson
Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103.
Or call us at 313/663-8000. You'll
find it worthwhile.
nnn rrbor
TERMINALS
Once you've worked with them, you won't work without them.
366 BYTE January 1984
Circle 27 on inquiry card.
+ 12V
6ND
+ 5V
RESET. OUT
AO
D7
D8
INT
7220 CS
DRQ
ERR.FL6
CLK
BUS RD
WAIT
EN8. B
SELECT. OUT
1, 22. A.
►■
F
►-
+ 5V
7250 COIL PREDRIVE*
A
. 1
M
v
1
7220
BUBBLE-
MEMORY
CONTROLLER
(BMC)
POWER FAIL
DRIVE
TRANSISTORS
DRIVE
TRANSISTORS
H i
J
1 i
K
7242
FORMATTER/SENSE
AMPLIFIER
(FSA)
7110
MEGABIT
BUBBLE
MEMORY
(MBM)
L
10
11
i
1
18 i
19
N
Y
M
'
,
i,
7
7230
CURRENT-PULSE
GENERATOR
(CP6)
4
9
1
8
E
C
D
CARD EDGE CONNECTOR PIN NUMBERS
Figure 1: A block diagram of the BPK 72 Bubble-Memory Prototype Kit.
offer nonvolatile storage, which isn't
true with most of the cache-memory
systems now on the market. Because
cache-memory systems use standard
RAM (random-access read/write
memory) chips, when the power
fails, the data is lost. To overcome this
problem, some cache-memory sys-
tems rely on bulky batteries that suf-
fer the need for periodic replace-
ment. Of course, all three storage sys-
tems have advantages; a library of
bubble memories is still too expen-
sive for most of us, and although they
are fast, nothing is faster than RAM.
If you want to know more, obtain
a copy of A Primer on Magnetic Bubble
Memory from Intel, which is well
worth reading. And even if you do
not yet thoroughly understand
bubble memory, don't let that stop
you from enjoying this project. After
all, learning is a major part of what
building it yourself is all about.
The Bubble-Memory Kit
Bubble-memory chips and the re-
quired support circuitry are quite
complex. Not only are they complex,
but sensitive, low-level signals and
stringent layout requirements prob-
ably preclude the use of wire-wrap
techniques. However, thanks to Intel,
the BPK 72 Bubble-Memory Proto-
type Kit solves most of these design
Intel Magnetics'
prototyping kit
includes ICs, resistors,
capacitors, test
hardware, and
documentation.
and construction problems. A word
of caution, though: this is not a
Heathkit-type kit. Rather, it is an
evaluation kit intended for engineers.
Therefore, the user's manual is heavy
on theory and light on assembly
instructions.
The kit comes complete with a PC
(printed-circuit) board, all resistors
and capacitors, a test module, a sub-
assembly to "reseed" the bubble
memory (should this be necessary),
and lots of documentation. Figure 1
is a block diagram of the complete
BPK 72 circuit. It lacks only an inter-
face, clock, and power supply. Add-
ing these three items is not very dif-
ficult, as you will see. The completed
bubble-memory system illustrated in
photo 2 is made up of the following
active components: a single 128K-
byte 7110 MBM (Megabit Bubble
Memory), one transistor, and seven
ICs (integrated circuits): one 7220
BMC (Bubble-Memory Controller),
one 7250 Coil Predriver, two 7254
Quad Drive Transistor Packs, one
7230 Current-Pulse Generator, one
7242 FSA (Formatter/Sense Ampli-
fier), and one IN75463 OR gate.
The extensive documentation ac-
companying the kit details the opera-
tion of the 7110 MBM and the func-
tion of each support component.
Much of the documentation is
oriented toward the design of a com-
plete bubble-memory system, includ-
ing PC-board layout. However, be-
cause this project treats the BPK 72
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 367
Photo 2: The assembled BPK 72 with the 7110
Megabit Bubble Memory installed. The seed
module (bottom left) is used to restore miss-
ing seed bubbles. The dummy module (bottom
right), an electrical equivalent of the bubble-
memory chip, is used for tests.
kit as though it were a single compo-
nent, we are primarily concerned
with only the 7110 MBM and the 7220
BMC.
For the sake of completeness, the
following is a brief description of how
it works. The subject is covered
thoroughly in the documentation ac-
companying the kit. Refer to figure 1.
Data flowing in and out of the
bubble memory passes through the
7242 FSA. Two channels connect the
FSA with the 7110 bubble memory (ac-
tually, the bubble memory is divided
into two sections). The FSA amplifies
the weak signals from the bubble
memory and also masks out the
defective or unused (spare) data loops
according to the bit pattern stored in
the boot-loop registers. Although 320
data loops are available, only 272 are
actually used. The extra loops provide
a greater production yield during the
manufacturing process. This is a
common practice in the manufacture
of memory components. (Normally,
users are usually unaware of it, and
this is of little or no concern.
However, this is not so with bubble
memories, for even though the selec-
tion process is done at the factory
and recorded in the bubble memory,
we have access to the boot-loop mask
and can change it if necessary.) The
FSA also performs automatic error
detection and correction, a user-
selected option that eliminates the
need for things such as software
checksums.
From the FSA, the data is fed into
a FIFO (first-in/first-out) buffer in the
BMC. The FIFO buffer holds up to 40
bytes of data. Its primary purpose is
to alleviate timing differences among
the user interface, the BMC, and the
FSA. All communication with the
bubble memory occurs through the
BMC, which is addressed as two I/O
(input/output) ports. One port (hexa-
decimal El in the schematic and soft-
ware listings) is for command and
status, and the other (E0) is for data
transfer to/from the FIFO buffer. The
command port has two functions:
one to initiate BMC functions such as
READ and WRITE and the other to
set up a starting address to one of six
parametric registers.
I had no difficulty
completing the
assembly after
studying the schematic
and parts list.
The parametric registers are akin to
a disk's parameter block. They deter-
mine the number of FSA channels to
be used and block length (pages of
64 bytes to be transferred); enable
automatic error correction, DMA
(direct memory access) operation (re-
quires DMA controller), interrupt
conditions, and data-transfer rate
read); and select which bubble-
memory chip to address in multibank
systems and the starting page
(64-byte record) address within the
selected bubble memory. The setting
up of the parametric registers is
accomplished in the SNDREG sub-
routine in the driver package to be
discussed in part 2. Normally, bub-
ble-memory read/write operations
proceed as follows. The parametric
registers are set up with the required
information, then the desired func-
tion (READ, WRITE, etc.) is selected
by sending a BMC command. When
the status indicates that the FIFO buf-
fer is ready to receive data or has data
waiting, data is then transferred
to/from the FIFO buffer.
Although I read all the literature
very carefully, I still found it difficult
to picture what is actually going on
in the bubble memory. With 272 data
loops, boot loops, seeds, input tracks,
output tracks, and a lot more, it all
became a bit confusing. I thus sim-
plified things by looking at it this
way: the 7110 chip has a capacity of
1,048,576 bits. Changing bits to bytes,
the storage capacity is exactly 131,072
bytes (usually expressed as 128K
bytes). The smallest block of data that
can be accessed (read/written) is 64
bytes, so what we really have is a
device that can store 2048 (64-byte)
physical records (Intel uses the word
"page"). However, it is possible to ex-
tend the block size in multiples of 64
bytes, allowing us to effectively have
records ranging from 128 bytes to
131,072 bytes. Therefore, for systems
employing a physical-record size of
128 bytes (e.g., CP/M), the block size
is two, with a total of 1024 records.
For systems with a physical-record
size of 256 bytes, the block size is
four, and the number of records is
correspondingly reduced to 512.
Assembling the BPK 72 Kit
Because the BPK 72 kit is intended
for engineers, so, too, is the
documentation. A fair knowledge of
digital electronics and some previous
experience in electronic kit building
would be useful, as assembly instruc-
tions are almost nonexistent. Basical-
ly, the manual says that this kit in-
cludes a printed-circuit board on
which the components supplied are
to be mounted. Assemble the board,
referring to the assembly drawing,
schematic, and parts list. Attach a
suitable user interface as detailed in
another section. And that's it. Al-
though the BPK 72 Bubble Memory
Prototype Kit User's Manual contains
about 40 pages, a single paragraph
covers actual assembly. The remain-
der of the manual is taken up with
interface requirements, operating in-
formation, support components, and
service information.
However, the PC board is small, 4
by 4 inches, with only eight ICs, one
368 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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transistor, and a few other com-
ponents, and I had no difficulty com-
pleting the assembly after studying
the schematic and parts list. If you
have assembled one of the larger
Heathkit kits, you should have no
difficulty in assembling this small PC
board. The only tools required are a
low-wattage soldering iron, side cut-
ters, a small Phillips screwdriver, and
a magnifying glass to inspect for
solder bridges. An ohmmeter and a
10-MHz, or higher, oscilloscope will
be needed for the preliminary testing
discussed later.
I suggest assembling the kit as fol-
lows:
1. Locate and mount all the IC
sockets. The 7110 bubble-memory
socket must be oriented with the
two Phillips-head screws on the
side of the card opposite the
edge-connector pins (toward the
top in photo 2).
2. Install the transistor.
3. Install all the resistors and diodes.
The locations are marked on the
PC board, and the values are in-
dicated on the schematic and parts
list.
4. Similarly, install all the capacitors.
5. To complete the assembly, install
all the ICs except the 7110 bubble-
memory element itself; install the
dummy module instead. Prelim-
inary testing requires this dummy
module.
The S-100 Interface
Before we can test the bubble-
memory system, we will need an in-
terface, a clock, and a power supply.
The interface requirements of the kit
are such that we can look at it as
though it were a single component.
The 44-pin edge connector, the PI
block in the schematic (figure 2), then
represents the bubble memory and
all the associated support circuitry.
The rest of the process is really quite
simple. The address-decoder circuit
(ICs 2 and 4) consists of two 8205
(74LS138) 3- to 8-line decoders. As
wired, the port addresses are hexa-
decimal EO and El; however, this can
easily be changed by selecting other
output pins on one or both of the
decoder ICs. ICs 8 and 9 split the
THE TOUGH
A budget-management
report from United Way
At United Way,
volunteers carefully review
the budgets, operating
patterns and track record
of agencies asking to
become part of the United
Way organization.
They scrutinize the
various functions performed
by the agency, look at the
kinds of people it helps,
and evaluate its success
in delivering its services.
But what happens when
a new service agency wants
to become a United Way
organization — especially
when there may be two or
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And sometimes it can be
an agonizing decision
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The people decide
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And that's how
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And why.
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Thanks to you it works.
For all or us.
c3i«J A Public Service of This Magazine & The Advertising Council
370 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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BYTE January 1984 371
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Figure 2: A schematic of an S-100 interface and clock circuit for the BPK 72. The kit is used as though it were a single component. Only
the edge connector is shown in this figure. The schematic placement of the edge-connector pins matches that of the actual physical component.
The completed project functions as either a disk emulator or a cache memory system.
372 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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multiplexed data bus into separate in-
put and output buses according to
S-100 conventions.
The 4-MHz clock circuit, ICs 1 and
3 (oscillator/divider, respectively), is
the circuit suggested in the applica-
tion note supplied with the kit. It
should be constructed with care,
keeping the leads as short as possible.
Note that the crystal is an 8-MHz
series-resonant type, 0.1 percent
tolerance, and should be a high-qual-
ity component. The clock frequency
must be stable and within the narrow
range of 3.996 to 4.004 MHz to assure
that the bubble-memory rotational-
field specification is met. This is more
stringent than many digital-circuit
clocks. The application note also calls
for the use of a 74H04 inverter (IC1).
Unable to obtain a 74H04, I tried a
74LS04, which did not work and
resulted in a large number of read/
write errors, plus an occasional tim-
ing error. However, when I sub-
stituted a 7404, everything worked
well.
Several signals appearing on the
BPK 72 edge connector (table 1) are
not used in this proj ect. Some of
these signals, 7242 CS for example,
are intended for use in systems
employing more than one 71.10 bubble
memory. Others are intended for
special applications. Two of these,
DACK and DRQ, are for use in
systems employing DMA. In small
single-user systems such as mine,
there is little or no advantage to using
DMA (considering the added cost
and complexity). If, on the other
hand, you want to use the bubble
memory for real-time data acquisi-
tion, DMA would become a necessi-
ty. As for interrupts, floppy-disk
operating systems generally disable
interrupts during disk-access opera-
tions. Therefore, no provision has
been made for them. The software
presented here also disables inter-
rupts during read/write operations. If
you want to use the interrupt system,
it will be necessary to add an open-
collector-type inverter, such as a
74LS05, connected between pin N of
the edge connector and one of the
S-100-bus interrupt lines.
It might appear that the
RESETOUT signal, pinH, should be
Pin
Number
Signal
Name
GND
Description
9
10
11
1 GND Ground (one of five).
2 — Not used.
3 — Not used.
4 CLK Clock input for BMC and FSAs. Frequency should be
4.000 MHz +/- 0.1 percent with a duty cycle of 50
percent +/- 1 percent to assure that the bubble-
memory rotational-field specifications are met.
5 — Not used.
6 — Not used.
7 ERR.FLG A signal generated by the FSA to inform the BMC of an
error condition. Used in multibank systems.
8 WAIT A bidirectional signal used in systems with multiple
BMCs, allowing them to inform each other of an error
condition.
BUS.RD Input/output mode signal used between BMC and FSA.
A0 An address bit that selects which BMC register is
involved. If A0 is a "1," the command, status, or register
address counter is selected. If A0 is a "0," the parametric
registers are being addressed.
DO Bidirectional data bus carrying data between the user's
system and the BMC.
Data bus.
Data bus.
Data bus.
Data bus.
Data bus.
Data bus.
Data bus.
Parity bit for the data bus. The BMC checks D8 for odd
parity coming from the user's system and generates odd
parity for data transferred from the bubble memory.
Not used.
Not used.
Ground.
Ground.
+ 12-volt sup ply (one of t wo).
The same as ENABLE. A, a signal used to select the
7230 Current-Pulse Generator and the 7250 Coil
Predriver. Not used.
Used in multibank systems to select the next 7240 FSA
in the FSA daisy chain.
Used in multibank systems as the chip-select signal for
FSA bank select. In single-bank systems, it should be
tied low.
+ 5-volt supply.
Initiates the Reset sequence to the BMC and support
circuitry. After a Reset sequence is completed, the next
BMC command must be an INITIALIZE or ABORT
followed by an MBM PURGE command.
J RD Input signal to indicate to the BMC that the user wishes
to read one of the user-accessible registers.
K WR Input signal to indicate to the BMC that the user wishes
to write to one of the user-accessible registers.
L DACK DMA acknowledge signal; indicates to the BMC that the
next memory cycle is available for data transfer. If not
used, it must be pulled up to V cc with a 5.1K-ohm
resistor:
M DRQ The data-transfer request signal; it indicates to the user
system that the BMC is ready to transfer 1 byte of data
to/from the user system when in the DMA mode;
otherwise, it indicates that 22 bytes can be transferred.
N INT Interrupt line from the BMC to the user system. It
indicates a change in the BMC status and requires
service.
P GND Ground.
R through W — Not used.
X +12V + 12-volt supply.
Y 7220 CS The BMC chip-select signal. Except during DMA
oper ations, a hig h disables the BMC. When disabled,
only RESETOUT affects the BMC.
Z GND Ground.
Table 1: Pin locations and signals for the bubble-memory card. Note the missing letters
in the Pin Number column. This is the standard numbering sequence for 44-pin cards.
Many of the signals are not used in this S-100 bubble-memory project.
12
D1
13
D2
14
D3
15
D4
16
D5
17
D6
18
D7
19
D8
20
21
—
22
GND
A
GND
B
+ 12V
C
ENABLE. B
D
SELECTOUT
E
7242 CS
F
+ 5V
H
RESETOUT
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 373
BPK72
BUBBLE-MEMORY CARD
> — 6-32 SCREW
f
PIN 22
, PIN 1
u
U
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Ul
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8.000 MHz
CRYSTAL
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en
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If.
-PIN 51 WIRING SIDE PIN 100 WIRING SIDE
Figure 3: The S-100 bubble-memory board parts layout shown here minimizes the length of signal lines.
TO ICl PIN 12
jr
TO ICl PIN 8 .
TO IC3 PIN 1
TO IC2 PIN 6
TO PI PIN L
TO PI PIN 8
8 0-
510&
— wv-
56pF
56pF
510&
5.1 K
5.1 K
-W\—
5.1 K
5.1 K
16 ■
15
14
13
12 ■
11
10-
9 -
TO ICl PIN 11
TO ICl PIN 13
+5V
_J
Figure 4: This top view of the DIP header wiring diagram includes all the resistors and
capacitors (except power-supply bypass capacitors) shown in the figure 2 schematic. All resistors
are 1/4 watt.
tied to the computer's Re set line. This
is not the case. The RESET.OUT
signal is an output signal from the
on-board power-fail circuit, and,
therefore, it should be left floating. To
tie it directly to the computer's Reset
line causes the on-board power-fail
circuit to malfunction. Proper opera-
tion of the power-fail circuit is essen-
tial to the bubble memory's retention
of data should the power fail and
during the normal power-down se-
quence. It provides for an orderly
shutdown of the bubble-memory
system.
Parts Layout
Physical placement of the BPK 72
circuit board and interface com-
ponents, figure 3, is designed to mini-
mize the length of the signal lines.
Looking at the component side of the
S-100 wire-wrap board, most of the
S-100-bus signals appear on the right-
hand side of the signal pins.
Therefore, to keep signal lines short,
the S-100 interface circuit was located
on the right and the BPK 72 PC card
on the left. For the same reason,
74LS244 bus buffers (ICs 7, 8, and 9)
were located at the bottom of the
board closest to the signal pins.
Because the oscillator has no off-
board connections, it was located at
the top of the S-100 board. All
resistors and capacitors, except
bypass capacitors, are mounted on a
DIP (dual-inline package) header
(figure 4).
S-100 Board Construction
The BPK 72 PC card is piggybacked
onto the S-100 wire-wrap board
(photo 3). To prevent shorting out of
the foil side, I used a Vector Elec-
tronics wire-wrap board without foil
pads or bus lines (VC8801-1). The
44-pin edge connector for the bubble-
memory card presented the greatest
problem in construction. I was
unable to locate an edge connector
with wire-wrap pins long enough to
be bent at right angles, pass through
the holes in the S-100 wire-wrap
board, and still have sufficient length
to accommodate two layers of wire-
wrap. I solved the problem by using
an edge connector with solder tails
374 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
How to make your Apple ran
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This Titan exclusive has its own fast 6502 processor, 64K of high-speed memory, and built-in
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1 Titan
TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
FORMERLY SATURN SYSTEMS OF MICHIGAN
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Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. VisiCalc is a registered trademark of VisiCorp, Inc. DB Master is a registered trademark of Stoneware, Inc.
Circle 358 on inquiry card. byte January 1984 375
Photo 3: The completed S-100 bubble-memory board's component side with the BPK 72 in-
stalled (see figure 4 for the parts layout).
/\
-BEND TO FIT
\J
< ^
VECTOR ELECTRONICS
WRAP POST (T46-2-9)
EDGE CONNECTOR -
-SOLDER
Figure 5: A detailed view of the edge-connector fabrication using wire-wrap posts. Alternatively,
the wiring could be brought up through the S-100 plug-board holes. See the text for details.
and then bending wire-wrap posts
(Vector Electronics T46-2-9), inserting
them in the plug-board holes and
soldering them to the solder tails on
the edge connector, as shown in
figure 5. Alternatively, an edge con-
nector with wire-wrap pins can be
used by passing the wires up
through the holes in the S-100 wire-
wrap board. I chose the first method,
and the results are not as neat as I
would have liked.
The 44-pin edge connector and all
the IC sockets were attached to the
S-100 wire-wrap board using one of
the super glues. This type of ad-
hesive has the advantage of being
quick-setting and is strong enough
for the task, yet it can be broken loose
with moderate pressure applied with
a screwdriver, in case of error or a
change in design.
In order to provide additional
mechanical stability for the BPK 72
card, I secured it to the S-100 board
as follows: looking at the component
side of the BPK 72 card positioned
with the pins at the bottom, a small
hole is in the clear area at the top left-
hand corner. I enlarged the hole and
drilled a matching hole in the S-100
wire-wrap board. After inserting the
BPK 72 card in the edge connector, I
secured the card to the S-100 board
using a 6-32 screw and two nuts, with
one nut between the two boards to
serve as a spacer.
The power supply presented no
special problems. The use of a heat
sink for the two regulators is op-
tional. I used red, yellow, and green
insulated wire to indicate +5 volts
(V), +12 V, and ground (GND),
respectively, and white for signals
(see photo 4). It makes tracing the
wiring a little easier. Only two bypass
capacitors are shown in the schem-
atic, but more may be required, as
discussed later. If your computer's
power supply is small and/or heavi-
ly loaded, you may find it necessary
to increase the value of the two
33-microf arad (fiF) capacitors, as it is
essential for correct operation of the
power-fail circuit that the supply
voltages not drop at too rapid a rate
when either the computer is turned
off or the power fails.
Preliminary Testing
Before installing the BPK 72 card in
the edge connector or any of the in-
terface ICs, install the S-100 board in
the computer (an extender board is
useful in making the following
checks). Using an oscilloscope, check
the output of the + 5- and + 12-V reg-
ulators for the correct voltage and any
sign of noise. Also check for +5 V on
edge-connector pins 8, F, and L, and
+ 12 V on pins B and X. Remove the
S-100 board from the computer and
use an ohmmeter to check the edge-
connector pins 1, 22, A, E, P, and Z
for ground.
Next, install all the ICs— but not the
BPK 72 card yet. Reinstall the S-100
board in the computer and then
check the power-supply voltages
again. If any noise is evident, bypass
capacitors should be added to clean
things up. Try 0.1 or 0.01 /i,F, if
needed.
376 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
How to make your IBM ran
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Ei Titan
FORMERLY SATURN SYSTEMS OF MICHIGAN
Sales and Marketing by The MARKETING RESOURCE GROUP, Fountain Valley CA.
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Lotus and 1-2-3 are trademarks of Lotus Development
Corporation. Multiplan is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer Inc. VisiCalc is a
registered trademark of VisiCorp, Inc. Accelerator PC is a trademark of Titan Technologies, Inc.
Circle 359 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 377
A. » I
liforffill
R
llll
|1
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Li in.FTjf'"™
Photo 4: The wiring side of the S-100 bubble-memory board. The following color code applies:
red = +5 volts, yellow = +12 volts, green = ground, and white = signal.
Using a 10-MHz, or higher, band-
width oscilloscope, observe the
8-MHz oscillator output, pin 6 of IC1.
The signal should be a reasonably
clean square wave. If a frequency
counter is available, measure the fre-
quency; it should be between 7.992
and 8.008 MHz. Next, observe the
clock signal on pin 4 of the edge con-
nector. Without a load, some ringing
may be evident; the frequency
should be one-half the oscillator
frequency.
If you haven't already done so, in-
stall the dummy module in the 7110
bubble-memory socket. The dummy
module is an electrical equivalent of
the 7110 bubble memory. It is intend-
ed to prevent accidental burnout of
the 7110 bubble-memory chip during
testing. Like the bubble-memory chip
itself, it is keyed and can be installed
only one way; the resistors should be
visible once it is in place. A table of
pin-to-pin resistances is in the users
manual to check the module.
Turn off the power and insert the
BPK 72 card in the edge connector
and the S-100 board in the computer.
At this point, a series of tests detailed
in an application note (AP-119 sup-
plied with the kit) should be con-
ducted. The first test ascertains
whether the power-fail circuit is func-
tioning corr ectly by observing the
RESET.OUT signal, pin 2 of the 7220
BMC. If there's a problem, you
should not proceed with the remain-
ing tests until the problem has been
corrected.
The remaining tests call for the use
of a program to condition the 7220
BMC and to determine its status. The
software presented in the application
note is written in 8088/8086 assembly
language. However, the micropro-
cessor I used is a Z80, and con-
siderable differences exist between
the two assembly languages. Rather
than spend time translating routines
that would only be used for the tests
A seed is a permanent
bubble from which
other bubbles are
generated to represent
binary ones.
and then discarded, I decided to use
BASIC INP and OUT commands.
The idea worked just fine. In fact, I
found that all bubble-memory opera-
tions can be performed using BASIC,
except the actual transfer of data
to/from the bubble memory. The
reason that data cannot be trans-
ferred is that a BASIC interpreter is
just not fast enough to keep up with
a data-transfer rate of 100,000 bps,
and this results in timing errors. The
BASIC program in listing 1 is a col-
lection of subroutines that I used for
these tests. All that is required to use
the program is to change the series
of GOSUBs (lines 1070 through 1100)
to select the desired functions for
each test. Details of the tests
themselves, along with the expected
results, are spelled out in the applica-
tion note, so I won't repeat them
here.
All the BASIC programs presented
in this article were written for
Micropolis BASIC, which uses a
slightly different form of INP and
OUT commands. The following ex-
amples demonstrate how the instruc-
tions appear in Micropolis BASIC
along with the more general form
used in other BASICs (assume "P" is
the I/O port to be addressed and "D"
is the data to be written/read):
Micropolis BASIC
OUT(P) = D
D = IN(P)
Other BASICs
OUT P,D
D = INP(P)
Non-Micropolis BASIC users will
have to revise the programs accord-
ingly.
The last three tests in the series call
for a program to cause certain signals
to be generated. This can also be ac-
complished using the simple BASIC
program in listing 2. The signal wave-
forms (as shown in the application
note) are to be observed on various
pins of the 7110 bubble-memory
socket, which presented a problem
because the solder side of the BPK 72
card is inaccessible when mounted
on the S-100 board. Fortunately, all
the test points can be found on the
face of the dummy module. Location
of the test points is easily determined
from the schematic of the dummy
module found in the users manual.
Final Testing
After successfully completing the
preliminary tests, the next step is to
install the 7110 bubble-memory chip.
Power down and remove the dummy
module, then install the 7110 bubble-
memory chip. When p ower is reap-
plied, again monitor the RESET.OUT
signal on pin 2 of the 7220 BMC. It
should perform exactly as it did with
the dummy module installed.
Before placing the bubble-memory
system in operation, one final test is
to be performed. Again using the test
program in listing 1, load (write) the
378 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 360 on inquiry card.
Listing 1: A collection of BASIC subroutines for preliminary testing of the BPK 72 Bubble-
Memory Prototype Kit. The GOSUBs (lines 1070 through 1100) must be changed for each test.
1680 REM ss^^-s^z:*:^ BPK-72 TEST ====:==:-.u=:==:.==r,
1616 REM
1626 D--224 £ REM Data Port address
1636 S-225 "-REM Statu-. Port address
1646 REM
1656 GOSUB 1136 s REM Write parametric resu^.t.-r- ,.
1666 GOSUB 1266 :REM Display status.
1676 REM
1686 REM Insert additional GOSUB 's to select the
1696 REM desired function and function order.
1188 REM
1110 STOPs END
1126 REM
1136 REM WRITE REGISTERS
1146 REM
1156 OUT OS}:- 11 :REM Select -'B' register.
1 166 DATA 61 , 10, 6S, 66, 66
1176 FOR I~l TO 5: READ Dl: CUT < DO =€» 1 : NEXT I
1186 RETURN
1196 REM
1266 REM DISPLRV STATUS t IN HEX ]
1216 REM
1226 S0=IH<£O -REM Input status.
1236 GOSUB 1276
1246 PRINT "STATUS = " ; CHRR$ < S 1 > ;CHRR*<S2>
1256 RETURN
1266 REM COMUER DEC TO HEX
1276 S 1 = I NT < 50/16) +48
1286 IF Sl>57 THEN Sl-Sl+7
1296 S2=<S0 AND 15) +48
136© IF S2>57 THEH S2^:E:2+7
131© RETURN
1320 REM
133© REM WRITE 7226 FIFO
1346 REM
1356 FOR H=l TO 4£u 0UT<D>=N = NEXT N
1366 RETURN
1370 REM
1380 REM READ 7226 FIFO
1396 REM
1466 FOR 1=1 TO 42
1416 S0=IN<D::« sREM Get. a bstte from FIFO
1426 GOSUB 1276 £ REM Concert to Hex
1436 PRINT CHRR*<Sn5CHRR*<S25; ,, "J
1446 NEXT I
1456 PRINT
1466 RETURN
1476 REM
1480 REM 7226 CONTROLLER COMMANDS
1496 REM
1566 INPUT "ENTER COMMAND <IN HEX); " 1 C*
1516 C=0: IF LEN<C$)<>2 THEN STOP
152© T=fiSC<LEFT£'X$.. 1))- GOSUB 1U66
153© C=016
1 540 T=RSC »; R I GHT$ \ C:$ , 1 > ) : GOSUB 1 566
1550 RETURN
1560 IF T=MS AND T<=57 THEN D-C+<T AND 15)
1576 IF T~>£5 AND T\=7'0 THEN C~C~K<T AND 15)+9>
1586 RETURN
Listing 2: A simple BASIC program to generate the signals required for testing the BPK 72.
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The TITAN™ is the only expansion
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1666 REM ======
1616 REM
1626 D-224 :REM Dav-a Port
Listing 2 continued on page 380
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^s Titan
— ggg TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
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IBM PC and XT are registered trademarks of International
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TITAN, PSEUDO-DISK, PSEUDO-PRINT, WHATIME, and
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January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 379
Circle 107 on inquiry card.
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Listing 2 continued:
1030 S=225 '-REM Statu •=. Port acidr^-'a.
1040 REM
lt350 INPUT "GENERATE READ OR WRITE SIGNALS a«J.-"R> : "JC*
1060 OUT OS) -25: OUT (SO -30 s 0UT<b>-29 -REM Clear- 7226
1070 REM
1080 REM WRITE REGISTERS
1090 REM
1100 QUT<b>»ll :REM Select 'B" reiji^ter-
1165 RESTORE
1 1 10 DATA 01 , 16, OS, 08, 00
1120 FOR 1=1 TO 5: READ Dls OUT<D>-Dls NEXT I
1 13© REM
114Q IF C$-"\A" GOTO 1230
1 150 REM
1160 REM GENERATE READ SIGNAL
1 170 REM
1 1 8S OUT < S ) = 13 - REM Send read command \ 1 2 Hex >
1190 K-IN<D)
1200 IF <IN<5> AND*32> = GOTO 1190
1210 GOTO 1130
1220 REM
1230 REM GENERATE WRITE SIGNAL
1248 REM
1250 QUT<5)»19 s REM Send write command <13 Hex)
1260 0UTCD)=255
1270 IF aNOfO AND 12S> <> GOTO 1266
1303 GOTO 1100
parametric registers and display the
status. You should obtain a status of
40 hexadecimal, indicating that
operation is complete. The test pro-
gram can then be modified by chang-
ing the DATA statement and
GOSUBs to permit checking the
seeds, as described in the application
note. A seed is a permanent bubble
in the magnetic-bubble memory,
from which other bubbles are gen-
erated to represent binary ones.
Checking the seeds also checks the
boot loop written into the bubble
memory at the factory and listed on
top of the 7110 bubble-memory chip.
As I explained earlier, the boot loop
maps defective and unused data
loops. Should there be an error in the
boot loot, a simple procedure in the
users manual shows how to rewrite
it. If one of the seeds is missing,
things become a bit more compli-
cated. Missing seeds can be restored,
but a special hardware subassembly,
supplied with the kit, must be used.
This procedure is also explained in
the users manual. I did not experi-
ence any difficulty with either the
boot loop or the seeds.
Next Month
This concludes part 1 of this article.
Next month, well go beyond the con-
struction and preliminary testing in-
to the software requirements needed
to make the magnetic-bubble-mem-
ory board work with Micropolis
MDOS and CP/M.B
[Editor's Note: As this article went to press,
Intel announced a change in the configura-
tion of its BPK 72 Bubble-Memory Prototype
Kit. Now labeled the BPK 72A, this kit
comes assembled and tested, but you still must
add an edge connector, an S-100 bus inter-
face, and power-supply circuitry as described
here. A different testing procedure is required,
but it, too, is documented in the new kit. The
current chip uses a socketed leadless package,
but a chip with leads (no socket) and clock
should be available in January.
The BPK 72A kit is available for use in three
temperature ranges: Standard, BPK 72A-1
(0-75°C), Commercial, BPK 72A-4
(10-55°C), and Military, BPK 72A-5,
(~ 2- + 85°C). As a promotional item, Intel
is offering the Commercial kit for $199
through any local Intel distributor. If your
computer environment holds within the
50-131°F temperature range, the Commercial
kit could provide 128K bytes of nonvolatile
memory at considerable savings. ]
Louis Wheeler is a retired federal government
employee. He spent 14 years as a programmer,
teacher, and manager of minicomputer systems. His
special interest is data processing, in which he has
an associate degree. He can be contacted at 1323
Tamera Dr., Oceano, CA 93445.
380 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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BYTE January 1984 381
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Smartmodem 300 S219.00
Smartmodem 1 200 .S509.00
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Micromodem II S265.00
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Micromodem HE S269.00
Micromodem 100 S299.00
Smart Com II S89.00
Chronograph S1 99.00
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SmartCat 103 S 179.00
SmartCat 103/212 S399.00
AutoCat S2 19.00
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Apple Cat II S249.00
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AXIOM
AT-100 Atari Interface S249.00
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VisiCalc 159.00
VisiCalc 4 159.00
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Vision Calc 249 00
Vision Graph 129.00
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8023 Dot Matrix S379.00
8025 Dot Matrix..... S669.00
2050 Letter Quality S999.00
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C1541 Disk Drive S249.00
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CX30 Paddle S 12.00
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8026 Dig Dug S33.00
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Mockingbird:
A Composer's Amanuensis
This display -oriented music-notation
editor can help composers capture their ideas
by John Turner Maxwell III and Severo M. Ornstein
The Xerox Mockingbird is a com-
poser's amanuensis, a computer pro-
gram designed to aid a composer in
capturing, editing, and printing
musical ideas. The purpose of Mock-
ingbird is not to invent new music or
to suggest variations to the composer,
but simply to aid him in recording his
own ideas by speeding up the no-
tation process. Mockingbird is not a
publisher's aid, although it does print
music, nor is it a performer's aid,
although it can play; it is strictly
focused on the composer's need for
a powerful scribe.
Mockingbird is an interactive
music-notation editor. It knows
nothing about the rhythmic, har-
monic, or melodic aspects of music
except as they are represented in
common music notation. To narrow
the scope of Mockingbird, we at
Xerox concentrated on handling
piano music. The program presently
cannot handle orchestral scores or
music for instruments that require
their own notational devices.
Mockingbird was written in 1980,
and we find it surprising that no one
had previously built such a system.
We believe there are two principal
reasons: first, we had at our disposal
an unusually powerful set of hard-
ware and software facilities with ex-
cellent graphics capabilities, and sec-
ond, we made a number of key deci-
sions, discussed later, that allowed us
This article originally appeared, in somewhat
different form, in a Xerox report of the same
name.
to bypass some difficult problems.
Overview
Mockingbird is written in Mesa
(see references 1 and 2), an experi-
mental language developed at the
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center
(PARC). Mockingbird runs on a gen-
eral-purpose computer called the
Dorado (see reference 3), a powerful,
experimental, single-user machine
also developed at FARC (The Dorado
is now officially known as the Xerox
1132.) It has a 60-nanosecond instruc-
tion cycle, a large memory (typically
2 to 8 megabytes of RAM), and an 80-
megabyte disk. It also includes a
large, high-resolution bit-map dis-
play, a keyboard, and a mouse.
Mockingbird presents a picture of a
score on the display. The mouse pro-
vides the mechanism by which the
user can point to locations within the
score or to particular items, such as
notes, to which some action is to be
addressed. It has three program-
readable push buttons on its top that
are used for issuing commands to the
program (sometimes in conjunction
with keyboard keys).
The graphics facilities, high speed,
and large memory make the Dorado
a particularly suitable tool for music
editing. The only special hardware
we provided for Mockingbird was an
interface to a Yamaha CP-30 electronic
synthesizer. The Dorado can sense
key positions and simulate key
strokes on the synthesizer. Thus, the
synthesizer can be used to "play in"
music and to let the computer "play
back" music without having to syn-
thesize the sound waveforms by pro-
gram. The setup is shown in photo
1 Not shown is an experimental
high-jesolution, computer-driven,
raster-scan laser printer that Mock-
ingbird uses to make hard-copy pic-
tures. The information for these pic-
tures is sent over an Ethernet (see
reference 4) connection from the
Dorado. (Figures 1 and 2 illustrate
Mockingbird's hard-copy output.)
In addition to these hardware
resources, Mockingbird relies heavi-
ly on a general-purpose graphics
software package (see reference 5)
that provides simple commands for
displaying characters and drawing
both lines and curves. It also provides
a common interface for both display-
ing material on the screen and print-
ing high-resolution hard copy.
Mockingbird is designed to handle
standard piano-music notation. It
knows how to deal with notes, rests,
accidentals, beams, chords, ties,
grace notes, n-tuplets, time signa-
tures, key signatures, clef indications,
ottava, and a variety of different
kinds of measure lines, embellish-
ments (mordents, etc.), and sheet
layouts (see the glossary on page 401
for definitions of these and other
musical terms). Mockingbird deals
with these elements not only in the
graphics but, where appropriate, in
the playing as well. Mockingbird
understands about the key of a piece
and will propagate and properly sup-
press accidentals.
Despite its sophistication, the
384 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Photo 1: The Mockingbird user's setup.
Mockingbird editor is only a research
prototype. Many features are still
missing and, in general, we did only
enough to demonstrate feasibility. For
example, there are numerous nota-
tional devices that we never incor-
porated in the program, such as
rolled chords, staccato markings, fer-
mata, and so on. Furthermore, al-
though Mockingbird can handle ties,
it cannot handle the more general
slurs, nor can it display text such as
lyrics or tempo markings. We do not
feel that the addition of further
features would present any insur-
mountable problems or violate the
premises from which we proceeded.
Important Decisions
We feel that Mockingbird's success
is largely dependent on the decisions
we made in the following five critical
areas.
Scribe vs. Automatic Transcriber— -We
decided not to try writing a program
that converted synthesizer keystrokes
directly into a score. We made this
decision for a number of reasons.
First, we weren't sure that it could be
done for the class of music we were
interested in. Rather than pursue that
question, we wanted to produce a
tool that worked. Second, we knew
that an editor would be needed any-
way, both to correct mistakes and to
satisfy the composer who did not
want to use the synthesizer keyboard
to enter material. So, instead of a
recognizer, we built an amanuensis,
or scribe, that provides a human
transcriber with powerful editing
tools. Our strategy was to build the
editing tools first and then work on
automatic heuristics to augment the
editing process. The editing tools can
assist either in performing the con-
version from played input to score or
in entering scores graphically.
Data Structure— We believe that one
of the most important decisions we
made was the choice of data struc-
ture. Mockingbird treats music sim-
ply as a sequence of events. This
allows us to simultaneously handle
raw ("played in") material and more
finished ("structured") material. Fur-
thermore, it is convenient for present-
ing the material in its various external
manifestations— displayed, printed,
and played.
User Interface— In Mockingbird,
rather than doing a lot of typing on
the computer's keyboard, the user
operates directly on the picture of the
music that appears on the screen. To
do this, he makes heavy use of the
mouse. This approach is facilitated by
a strong correlation between the in-
ternal representation of the music
and its visual display (as well as how
it is played). All of the elements of the
data structure are displayed, and
everything shown on the screen cor-
responds to some part of the data
structure. If the user moves some-
thing on the screen, the data struc-
ture is immediately updated to reflect
it; if the data structure is changed,
the screen is immediately repainted.
Not only is the picture faithful to the
data structure, but so is the synthe-
sizer "performance." For example, if
the user puts a trill marking on a
note, Mockingbird will trill when
playing it.
Piano— Music notation is extensive
and nonuniform— instruments pre-
sent individual requirements and
employ special notational devices. By
choosing to focus our attention
specifically on piano music, we
limited the scope of our ambitions to
a manageable size. The piano was an
obvious choice as it is an instrument
frequently used by composers in try-
ing out their ideas. Furthermore, be-
cause of its keyboard structure, it
lends itself naturally to connection as
an I/O (input/output) device to a
computer.
Voices— Music is broken "vertically"
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 385
Don't miss a single
article you'd like to read
MSOMPUTE
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Monthly Guide
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into separate parts or voices. Such
partitioning is obvious in multiple-
instrument music, but it is also an
essential structural feature in piano
scores. The recognition of this fact,
and its explicit representation in
Mockingbird, greatly facilitates the
editing and formatting of scores. This
topic is discussed later.
The Editor
Mockingbird consists of a number
of functionally distinct parts in-
tegrated into one editor. The editor
allows the user to record, edit, play,
and print a single piece of music.
Commands are issued by making
selections and typing characters.
Some commands are invoked by
pointing the mouse at an object on
the screen and clicking a button.
When the user has finished with the
piece of music, he can name it and
file it away in the Dorado's filing
system. Later it can be retrieved by its
name.
As it appears on the display, a score
looks like a piece of sheet music (see
photo 2). There are usually four to six
staff sets (lines), each composed of
two to four staves. At the left of each
staff is a clef sign and an appropriate
key signature. Scattered over the
staves are notes, chords, beams,
measure lines, and other symbols
commonly found in music.
Only about a page of the score can
appear on the screen at a time, so
there are commands that allow the
user to look at different sections.
Scrolling causes the current section
of the score to be moved up or down
so that neighboring lines can appear.
The user can scroll as little as a single
line or as much as an entire page.
Thumbing allows the user to jump to
an arbitrary point in the score. To
thumb, the user specifies approxi-
mately how far into the score he
would like to be, and the program
moves the display to that point. Both
thumbing and scrolling are accom-
plished by moving the cursor into a
special "scroll bar" area at the left of
the score and clicking one of the
mouse buttons.
The score can be edited with Mock-
ingbird just as documents are edited
with word processors. The usual
Photo 2: A computer running the Mockingbird program
paradigm for making an edit is to
"select" some portion of the music
and then to issue a command. The
command will apply only to the
selected portion. The display is up-
dated immediately to reflect the
changes.
Selection
A user may select either a con-
tiguous section of the score or an ar-
bitrary collection of individual notes.
Both types of selections are made by
moving the mouse over the desired
objects while holding down a mouse
button.
If the user selects a section of the
score, Mockingbird indicates that sec-
tion by displaying it in reverse video
(white on black instead of black on
white). The section may be as small
as a portion of the measure or as
large as the entire score. It encom-
passes all of the notation that appears
on all of the staves. Section selection
is typically used for coarse editing
operations such as copying and de-
leting. However, it may also be used
to apply a function to all of the notes
in a particular region, such as desig-
nating them all to be sixteenth notes.
Mockingbird indicates individual
note selections by painting the
selected note heads gray. An in-
dividual note may be selected by
pointing at it with the mouse and
clicking the left mouse button. Notes
may be collected into a selected set
for combined action either by a series
of individual mouse clicks or by
sweeping the mouse over the note
heads while holding down the
mouse button.
Because selection persists after ex-
ecution of a command, it is possible,
with a single selection, to issue a suc-
cession of commands that all apply
to the same material.
Voices
To play notes at the proper time
and to place them correctly within
the score, it is necessary to know
where they occur within the rhyth-
mic structure of the piece. Measure
lines provide reference points from
which rhythmic position is mea-
sured. For music that has only one
voice, you start at the beginning of
the measure and count forward
through the various note and rest
values until arriving at the note of in-
terest. Its position in the measure's
rhythmic structure is then given by
the sum of the time values of these
preceding items. If the music has
several parallel voices with differing
time values, you must know which
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 387
Figure la: A segment of a piano score.
Figure lb: The same segment showing only voice one.
Figure lc: The same segment showing only voice two.
m
Figure Id: The same segment showing only voice three.
notes belong to which voice in order
to count forward properly. Voicing
thus provides a lateral indication of
what goes with what.
Figure la shows a section of a full
piano score, whereas figures lb-Id
show its separate voices. To find out
when the C octave occurs in the sec-
ond measure of figure lb, add the
prior eighth chord and sixteenth rest
and conclude that the octave comes
three-sixteenths into the measure.
Now consider the situation in the
third measure of figure Id. Here a
voice commences within the measure
rather than at its beginning, so there
is no way to count forward to it. In-
stead, its rhythmic position is deter-
mined by its synchrony with an ele-
ment of another voice, in this case,
the octave in voice one. (To enhance
visual clarity, the chords are slightly
separated in the full score shown in
figure la. However, they are, in fact,
rhythmically synchronous.)
In that same measure, consider the
effect of erroneously placing, say, the
sixth note of voice two in voice three.
The effect would be significant: first,
the note would be incorrectly located
(played) at the midpoint of the meas-
ure (i.e., one-eighth after the chord
in voice three), and second, due to
the omission in voice two, all the en-
suing notes of that voice (up to the
next reference point) would be lo-
cated slightly earlier than they
should. Mockingbird contains a
mechanism to assist the user in find-
ing such errors. Upon request, the
program will check to see whether
the rhythmic "time" of every measure
is properly filled by the notes and
rests of the voices it contains (with
due allowance for parallelism of
voices). Measures that don't "add up"
correctly will be marked with a stip-
ple pattern on the display.
The voicing of a piece of music is
hence an important part of its under-
lying structure, which is revealed by
the way in which the score is drawn.
Thus, voicing in a piano score is in-
dicated by such clues as shared
beaming, chording, stem direction,
and staving. The reader uses these
clues, together with vertical align-
ment within the score, in deter-
mining how to play the music, i.e.,
when to play the notes, which hand
to use, etc.
In Mockingbird, the problem is the
converse one of determining what
the finished score should look like,
starting from raw notes that have
neither explicit voicing nor any of the
structural clues of a completed score.
Everything must be determined from
scratch: note values, chords, staving,
beaming, rests, ties, etc. One of our
earliest insights was that if we could
first determine the voicing of a piece,
it would greatly facilitate determina-
tion of all of these other features. In
studying existing piano scores, we
saw no general way to infer voicing
automatically, and so instead decided
to give the user explicit control over
its definition. Hence, Mockingbird
includes commands for assigning
notes and rests to voices and for in-
dicating synchrony between the ele-
ments of different voices.
Once a piece has been voiced, the
user can designate a particular voice
for viewing, in which case the notes
of that voice appear in black on the
display while the rest of the score ap-
pears in a light gray for reference. In
this mode, the user can access only
items within the designated voice
(i.e., area selection will select only the
notes in that voice, and individual
notes in other voices cannot be
selected). Any editing commands
issued when viewing a single voice
will thus affect only that voice; the
part displayed in gray is not affected.
Editing Commands
Mockingbird's editing commands
include assigning note values, assign-
ing notes to voices, transposing
notes, changing their stem direction,
changing their spelling, and chang-
ing the staff on which they appear.
In addition, various elements of the
score, such as notes, measure lines,
and time, key, and clef signatures,
can be individually deleted or picked
up and moved to a new location with
the mouse. There are also commands
that group notes together with beams,
388 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
for Performance, Quality and Reliability
Anyone can sell you a box full of hardware. But is it too much computer? Too little? Will it run the
appropriate software? What about service? If you need the right answers both before and after the
sale, call your nearest Full Service CompuPro System Center. For product information, see pg. 277
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MARYLAND
Bethesda
JR Systems
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MASSACHUSETTS
Boston
New England
Electronic Exch.
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Chestnut Hill
Key Micro Systems
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NEW YORK
Amherst
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John D. Owens Assoc.
(212) 448-6283
NORTH CAROLINA
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OREGON
Portland
Microwest Computer
Products
(503)238-6274
PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia
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Systems
(215) 364-8220
CompuPro.
A GODBOUT COMPANY
3506 Breakwater Court, Hayward, CA 94545
RHODE ISLAND
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Key Micro Systems
(401) 828-7270
TEXAS
Austin
CPA Systems, Inc.
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Dallas
Dator Systems
(214)521-0915
Houston
Gifford Computer Systems
(713) 877-1212
Seguin
CPA Systems, Inc.
(512) 379-0660
VIRGINIA
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0NETC0
(703) 590-5464
WASHINGTON
Seattle
American Computers &
Engineers
(206) 583-0130
WISCONSIN
Greenfield
Byte Shop of Milwaukee
(414) 281-7004
Madison
Beam International
(608) 255-2325
AUSTRALIA
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Automation Statham
Pty.. Ltd.
(02) 709-4144
CANADA
Coquitlam, B.C.
CSC System Center Ltd.
(604)941-0622
Vancouver, B.C.
Dynacomp Business
Computers Ltd.
(604) 872-7737
THE PHILIPPINES
Quezon City
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UNITED KINGDOM
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Comcen Technology Ltd.
(0792)796000
©1983'eompuPro
BYTE January 1984 389
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chords, or slurs. Many of these com-
mands work with either note or sec-
tion selection. For instance, the user
may transpose a single note down an
octave or an entire voice up a fifth.
The first of these actions would be ac-
complished by selecting the note and
issuing the Transpose command. The
second would be accomplished by
designating the desired voice, select-
ing the entire score, and issuing the
command.
The user may also rearrange large
sections of the score in a "cut and
paste" manner. To replace one section
of the score with another, the user
selects the section to be replaced (the
primary selection), then the section
to be copied (the secondary selec-
tion), and issues the Replace com-
mand. The primary selection does
not have to be the same size as the
secondary one. If there is no second-
ary selection, the resulting operation
is a deletion. If the primary selection
merely points at "empty space" in the
score, the resulting operation
amounts to an insertion.
In addition to changing the struc-
ture of the music, the user can
change the way it appears on the
sheet. For instance, the number of
staves for each line can be changed
on a line-by-line basis. The user can
switch a staffs clef in the middle of
a measure or designate a section to
be displayed in ottava notation.
Changes in key and time signatures
can also be inserted within the score
wherever necessary.
The user can add new material to
the score by picking up items from a
pop-up menu that can be made to
appear under the cursor (see photo
3). The menu includes a number of
small symbols (called icons) repre-
senting various elements of the score.
There are icons for a note, a rest, bass
and treble clefs, several kinds of
measure lines, and a variety of mark-
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the cursor is moved over the menu,
its shape changes to correspond to
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When the mouse button is released,
the cursor retains the last shape. The
user can then insert instances of that
icon by pointing to a place in the
score and clicking another mouse
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January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 391
£
r i
1 1 ii t v 8
?t t B .. • # * ** <waK
gfe lj J
-Gl
Photo 3: A photo of the display screen showing the pop-up menu.
button. (Mockingbird automatically
selects the inserted note or rest for
the user's convenience. Thus, the
user may immediately issue com-
mands that affect the note.)
The Synthesizer
The synthesizer is both an input
and an output device. As an output
device it can be used to listen to
music stored by Mockingbird. This is
especially helpful in proofreading
scores. Mockingbird "reads" the
score and plays it by simulating key
strokes on the synthesizer. As the
synthesizer plays the notes, a pointer
tracks the performance on the dis-
played score. Mockingbird's rendi-
tion handles polyphonic music cor-
rectly, taking into account such things
as grace notes, n-tuplets, trills, ottava,
and metronome markings. Thus, the
composer may listen to what he has
written. Although the performance
sounds a little mechanical, it is suffi-
cient for catching erroneous note
values and pitches. Moreover, the
music can be played at double speed
for rapid scanning or half speed for
careful listening.
As an input device, the synthesizer
is used to capture music played by
the composer. As the user plays,
Mockingbird "watches" the keys and
records when every note was struck.
Music in this form is displayed as a
note-head time plot, which we call a
"piano roll," illustrated in figure 2a.
Mockingbird chooses default staffing
and spelling. Figure 2h shows the
final score for this same section of
music.
When playing music, the composer
isn't restricted to a single melodic
line, nor must he follow a metro-
nome; he may play whatever he
wants as freely as he wishes. Mock-
ingbird captures his idea in a rough
form that, although a far cry from a
standard score, nonetheless contains
enough information to reconstruct
his original intent. At this point, the
composer may go on to capture more
music or start transforming the piano
roll into a score by editing it.
Raw piano-roll material can be
mixed in freely with standard music
notation, both on a measure-by-
measure basis and within a single
measure, as shown in figure 2c. All
of the commands that apply to stan-
dard music notation can also be ap-
plied to the piano roll or to mixed sec-
tions. Thus, the composer can re-
Figure 2a: The piano roll input directly from the synthesizer keyboard.
arrange material, put notes into dif-
ferent voices, specify the durations of
the notes, and add structural ele-
ments such as beams and chords.
The ability to mix piano-roll and stan-
dard music notation gives the user a
lot of freedom; he can work on the
score in whatever order pleases him.
Mockingbird even plays correctly
across the boundaries of mixed sec-
tions of piano roll and standard
music notation.
Another feature of Mockingbird is
that it is possible to "play against"
previously entered material. While
Mockingbird plays, the user can play
along with it on the synthesizer. The
combined product is heard as Mock-
ingbird records the new notes, simul-
taneously merging them with what
it is playing. This allows the com-
poser to build a piece one voice at a
time or to lay in new material over an
existing score. It also allows him to
construct music that cannot be
played by one person on a standard
instrument.
Converting Piano Rolls
Figure 2 a shows some source
material recorded by Mockingbird
directly from the synthesizer. Such
raw piano rolls are hard for humans
to read; there are no key or time
signatures, no measures, chords, or
beams to group things, nor have the
notes been separated into voices. Be-
cause part of the composition process
includes specifying such syntactic
structuring, it was necessary for
Mockingbird to go beyond piano-roll
notation. The process of converting
from piano-roll to standard music
notation is not handled automati-
cally, but rather involves the user.
However, Mockingbird does provide
a number of heuristics that assist in
the transformation.
Figure 2 shows a typical succession
of steps for turning some piano-roll
input into a final section of score. At
any point, the composer can use the
mouse and menu to add material,
because Mockingbird allows piano-
roll and standard music notation to
coexist.
The first step in converting piano
rolls is alignment. To remove the in-
evitable imprecision in playing notes
392 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Figure 2b: The piano roll after alignment.
Figure 2c: The piano roll with key and time signatures, voicing, measure lines, some time
values, beams, etc., added by the user.
. o h r j f
i.
j «
|
: * : ffr .
rorf^
Ec jt-
, rf ftf - z rTf
"1 1 H s=&a*_ .
Figure 2d: TTie resn/fe o/ timing and beaming heuristics.
-1 3 3 -T
Figure 2e: The piano roll justified with too low density.
o i f J r*
.
*~ n J J
I ft j [»' p
[ w
£ g
m f p
._ ._
1 f
—
rrrf
Sf- 4
z f fr
y^H
3 3
Figure 2f: The piano roll with a more suitable density.
d r frp^ Hi — ; : i ri : —
■— J— < -^liT ■~iii~i LiimJ fi^lii^iH_ii C ' LJ
Figure 2g: The piano roll after correction by the user'.
^ r J I
J -^— "~
tJ l» '
3 3
ajc&z—
3 3
3
3 3 J
—J -
*
"• -0- S i
ff-p
'^4 * (h -m^
= *^ =
^1
-» «* « l «—
Figure 2h: TTie piano roll after final "hand" touch-up by the user.
that should be simultaneous, the
user can apply a heuristic that runs
through the piano roll and aligns the
notes that occur close to the same
time. Figure 2b shows the results of
that step.
Typically, the user provides key
and time signatures in the next step,
then he might enter measure lines.
He can do this by picking up a
measure-line icon from the pop-up
menu and depositing copies at suit-
able places into the piano roll. Alter-
natively, the user can tell Mocking-
bird to play the piano roll back on the
synthesizer, and as it does so, he can
'Hbeat in" measure lines simply by
striking the keyboard's space bar on
the first beat of each measure. Errors
can easily be corrected by moving,
deleting, or inserting measure lines
as appropriate.
Next, the user would normally
assign notes to different voices. An
individual note is assigned to a voice
when the user selects the note and
then indicates to which voice it be-
longs. More typically, collections of
notes are simultaneously voiced by
selecting them together and then is-
suing a single voicing command.
At this point, the user can go
through the score, manually assign-
ing time values to the notes and
designating chords and beams.
Figure 2c shows this process partially
completed. However, Mockingbird
has a number of heuristics to help
with these tasks. After the user
assigns notes to their proper voices
and gives a time signature, he may
ask Mockingbird to guess the time
values of the notes, group them into
chords, and assign beams. Although
the heuristics used are only about 80
percent accurate, they save the user
a lot of work. In addition, what re-
mains is easier for the user to deal
with, because it is in a more familiar
form. Figure 2d shows the result of
the heuristics. Mistakes made by the
heuristics can be found by inspecting
the score or listening to it through the
synthesizer. The user then fixes the
mistakes and adds more structure.
Figure 2g shows the resulting score.
The combination of simple heuristics
and easy editing is as central to the
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 393
Figure 3a: Two voices improperly aligned.
concept of Mockingbird as an aman-
uensis.
By the time these steps are com-
pleted, the piano roll has become a
score containing all the basic informa-
tion. The only thing that remains to
be done is some tidying up.
Justification
A particularly powerful command
is the one that justifies a sequence of
measures within the score. (The user
selects some area of the score, and
the justifier locates the nearest
measure lines.) Justification involves
several things: making the voices
consistent relative to one another, lay-
ing out the graphical elements of the
score in an aesthetic arrangement,
and making sure that each line of the
Figure 3b: The same two voices after
correction by the justifier.
score contains complete measures.
Justification is concerned only with
the horizontal placement of objects;
details such as the height and tilt of
the beams are outside of its domain.
Furthermore, it doesn't disturb struc-
tural elements such as stem direc-
tions and staffing.
The justifier starts by going
through each measure and making
sure that all of the voices are con-
sistently ordered relative to one
another. Two voices are inconsistent
if each adds up to the time signature,
but when taken together, allowing for
alignments and spacing, they appear
to add up to more than the time sig-
nature. Figure 3a shows an example
of such a situation. The justifier
moves notes around to correct mat-
ters, as shown in figure 3b.
Next, the justifier redetermines the
horizontal placement of the graphical
elements of the score. The horizontal
spacing is based on the types of ele-
ments (measure line, note, clef sign,
accidental, etc.), the voicing, and the
need to keep things from overlap-
ping. The user can also give a
parameter that determines how
"dense" the justification should be.
The justifier then squeezes things
together as close as possible based on
these constraints.
Finally, the justifier stretches out
the spacing in the material to make
an integral number of measures fit on
each line. The user can justify various
sections of a piece with different den-
sities as appropriate (see figures 2e
and2f).
If at any point the user is dissatis-
fied with the results of justification,
he can manually move items around
in the score to improve the appear-
ance. However, the justifier produces
a surprisingly good layout, so that
usually the only things left for the
user to do are adjustments that en-
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394 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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BYTE January 1984 395
hance readability (such as grouping
and tilting beams, adding clef
switches, etc.). In fact, given the
power of the justifier, one common
style of use is to enter music one
voice at a time, not worrying at all
about the spacing between notes.
Each time a line of material has been
entered, the user justifies that and
then goes on to the next line. The
justifier takes care of aligning the
voices properly and producing a
suitable layout.
The justifier is also helpful in deter-
mining page layout and page breaks.
The user can indicate that specific
measures are to fall at the end of a
line. The justifier takes this into ac-
count when deciding how many
measures to put on a line. With this
feature, the user can control how
many pages the score will fill and can
assure that the end of the score falls
at the end of a page.
Data Structures
Our first design was a hierarchical
data structure that closely matched
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the formal structure we saw in music.
But we ran into numerous problems
with it because it didn't match the
needs of an editor. After much dis-
cussion, we settled on a sequential
data structure. This surprised us, be-
cause in the beginning we had
thought that the hierarchical design
was the obvious choice. However, ex-
perience has convinced us that the
sequential design is vastly superior.
There are three considerations in
designing a data structure: represen-
tational power, programming conve-
nience, and performance. Represen-
tational power concerns how much of
the domain is covered by the data
structure and how easy it is to repre-
sent different aspects of the domain
in the structure. Programming con-
venience concerns how easy it is to
write algorithms that deal with the
data structure. This depends a great
deal on what the algorithms do. In
Mockingbird we are mostly con-
cerned with playing, editing, and
displaying the score (as opposed to
structural analysis or automatic com-
position). Performance concerns how
rapidly the data may be accessed.
Even if a data structure is convenient,
it may not be efficient. Sometimes
there is a trade-off between structural
complexity, memory utilization, and
speed. In Mockingbird, memory was
plentiful and speed was critical; for
an editor to be useful, the display
must respond crisply to user actions.
There are many possible hierar-
chical data structures that might be
used to represent music. We use the
term loosely to describe a class of
data structures that implicitly incor-
porate musical structure in the de-
sign. Thus you might imagine a data
structure that had a separate part for
each measure or for each voice. A
"sequential" data structure, on the
other hand, is simply a sequence of
undifferentiated entities. No attempt
is made to incorporate musical struc-
ture into the design. Instead, it is up
to the algorithms to determine the
structure from the entities.
On the surface, the hierarchical de-
sign seems better. If the musical
structure is built into the data struc-
ture, then you can guarantee a uni-
form interpretation over all of the
396 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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BYTE January 1984 397
algorithms. Not only that, but algo-
rithms won't have to derive the built-
in information.
Unfortunately, basing the data
structure on the musical structure
was too constraining. We wanted a
uniform representation for both com-
mon music notation and piano rolls
so that the user could mix both types
of music freely. Although it might be
possible to keep a separate data struc-
ture for piano rolls, it would make
the algorithms for editing, display-
ing, playing, and justifying much
more difficult. All of these algorithms
need to know what things are near
one another. A simple example is re-
displaying the score after a small edit
has been made. For efficiency, we
would like to redisplay as little of the
score as possible. But that requires
knowing what objects are near the
entity that was edited. In the hierar-
chical design, an entity that is close
physically may be logically far away.
It might be in another measure,
voice, or chord, or on a different staff.
Enumerating all of the possibilities is
inconvenient and time-consuming.
In addition to all this, there is the
problem of exceptions. Many of the
rules of notation that are presumably
inviolable turn out to be violated
when the composer finds the nota-
tion too constraining. A design that
has fixed rules about the structure of
music built into it won't be able to
handle such exceptions. Even if the
exceptions were ruled out, you would
still have problems with the inconsis-
tent structures that arise temporarily
during editing. We wanted our de-
sign to be tolerant of such exceptions
and inconsistencies.
A sequential design doesn't have
these problems. It allows piano rolls
to be mixed with standard music no-
tation because both are represented
as ordered sequences. Finding things
that are nearby is easy, because
things that are near one another on
the screen are near one another in
the data structure. And finally, be-
cause the data structure is so unstruc-
tured, it is flexible enough to handle
a wide range of exceptions.
Mockingbird's "sequential" data
structure is simply a sequence of
events ordered by time. An event
might be a measure line, a collection
of notes, a time signature, a clef
change, or a change in the number
of staves per line. The events that
contain notes are called "syncs" be-
cause they synchronize all of the
notes in the event. (That is, all of the
notes in the sync are played or dis-
played together.) The notes may be-
long to different voices or chords, but
they all have the same "time." The
editor automatically synchronizes
notes that are very close to simulta-
neous whenever notes are entered or
moved. Occasionally this will intro-
duce an error, which can be fixed by
the user.
Syncs are important because they
keep simultaneous notes together
while the score is being edited.
Usually, if the composer plays several
notes at the same time, he wants
them to stay together unless he ex-
plicitly says otherwise. Inserting a
note before a sync shouldn't break up
the sync, even if one of the notes in
the sync belongs to the same voice as
the inserted note. If any of the notes
BUTE
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398 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
in a sync move, they should all move.
(The justifier sometimes violates this
rule, but only when it is obvious that
the notes have been incorrectly
synchronized.)
There are three ways of measuring
the "time" of an event: as seconds
from the start of play, as beats from
the start of the score, and as inches
from the first measure line. Although
these notions of time are very dif-
ferent, they coexist nicely because the
order of one is usually the order of
the other. Thus, if note A is displayed
to the left of note B, it is most likely
played before note B. In general, we
can use the order of the notes as they
appear on the display to determine
the order in which they should be
played. There are a few exceptions
that must be handled properly— em-
bellishments such as trills and grace
notes are not always played in the
order in which they are displayed.
Conversely, notes that are logically
simultaneous may be separated
slightly on the display in the interest
of visual clarity.
Beams and chords are ancillary to
the main data structure, because they
act as horizontal and vertical paren-
theses grouping notes together; they
are visual aids for the human per-
former and aren't otherwise crucial to
the score. Removing all of the beams
and chords from a score would affect
its readability but not its playing. In
Mockingbird, each beam and chord
knows what notes belong to it, and
each note knows what beam and
chord it belongs to. In addition,
chords have a stem direction and
beams have a tilt and vertical
position.
The linear data structure we have
been discussing treats a score as a
single, long sequence of measures,
but because music is printed on rec-
tangular sheets of paper, this se-
quence must be broken up into a suc-
cession of lines. Rather than com-
plicate the main data structure, we
use a separate data structure to map
between the one-dimensional score
and the two-dimensional sheet of
paper. This sheet data structure
keeps track of how long each line is,
how many lines fit on each page,
how much of the line must be de-
voted to a key signature, and which
section of the score goes on which
line. Only the displayer and the
justifier need to make use of this
representation of the sheet; all of the
other algorithms manipulate the se;
quential data structure directly.
Automatic Recognition
We decided not to try to write a
program that would attempt to
deduce the score automatically from
piano-roll input because we thought
that job exceedingly difficult. Why?
It has been done for some simple
pieces; can it not be done more
generally? We believe that the rele-
vant question is: can it be done for
polyphonic piano music where the
voicing is not known in advance?
To produce a proper score you
must, among other things, determine
the time value of all notes. Although
we traditionally think of "holding a
note," say, for a quarter, we don't
mean literally holding the key down.
What is meant is that the next note
(or rest) in that voice is to commence
one quarter after the beginning of the
note in question. Time values thus
measure intervals rather than dura-
tions. (Although often the two are
almost the same, in staccato playing
it is not at all the case.) So, before you
can assign time values to notes, you
must first understand how the music
is separated into its component
voices. Voicing is partly dependent
on thematic and harmonic relation-
ships within the piece, but it may
also be used by a composer simply
to indicate how he wishes the music
to be parsed by the reader, for em-
phasis or for division between the
hands. Sometimes a single note may
participate in two different voices,
possibly even with two different time
values. Rests and ties further com-
plicate the problem, as they are ele-
ments that appear in the score to help
complete rhythmic structuring, but
they are absent from the actual
playing.
The assignment of notes to staves
forms a further structuring element
in piano music. This assignment is a
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reputation of Hayes. A solid
leader in the microcomputer in-
dustry, Hayes provides excellent
documentation for all products. A
limited two-year warranty on all
hardware. And full support from
us to your dealer.
So see him todav. Break out of
isolation. Get a telephone for your
personal computer. From Hayes.
Hayes Microcomputer Products,
Inc., 5923 Peachtree Industrial
Blvd., Norcross. GA 30092.
404/441-1617.
Smartmodem 300, Smartmodem 1200. Smartmodem 1200B
and Smartcom II are trademarks of Hayes Microcomputer
Products. Inc. IBM is a registered trademark of Interna-
tional Business Machines. Corp, Touch-Tone is a
registered service mark of American Telephone and
Telegraph. Rainbow is a trademark of Digital Equipment
Corporation. Xerox 820-11 is a trademark of Xerox
Corporation. Kaypro 11 is a registered trademark of
Non-Linear Systems, Inc,
©1983 HayesMicrocomputer Products, Inc.
Circle 181 on inquiry card.
complex function of voicing, finger-
ing, division between hands, and
aesthetic judgment. There are many
other problems: identifying complex
n-tuplets, distinguishing grace notes,
determining rhythm and detecting
rhythmic changes, identifying meas-
ure lines, determining how many
staves to use, how to combine notes
into beams, when to switch clefs or
use ottava, and, in short, determin-
ing all of the complex structural-
notational devices that composers
use to render their music readable.
Conclusion
Our intention in presenting this
material is to encourage others to
pursue similar endeavors.. Music
editing is already being done on
home computers and, while it will be
some years before machines as
powerful as a Dorado are found in
every living room, useful tools will
become feasible soon— even on home
machines of modest cost. It would
seem that a display of reasonable
resolution and a mouse (or some
similarly convenient pointing device)
are prerequisites. But if you avoid the
temptation to make "pretty" scores
and stick to providing a simple "cut
and paste" editor of piano-roll ma-
terial, then a reasonable composing
tool should soon become practical.
The problem of storage and retrieval
of snatches of material and full pieces
would have to be addressed, but this
seems tractable. ■
References
1 . Geschke, C. M., J. H. Morris, and E. H.
Satterthwaite. "Early Experience with
Mesa." Report CSL-76-6. Palo Alto, CA:
Xerox PARC, October 1976.
2. Mitchell, J. G., W. Maybury, and R. E.
Sweet. "Mesa Language Manual," ver-
sion 5.0. Report CSL-79-3. Palo Alto, CA:
Xerox PARC, April 1979.
3. Lampson, B. W., K. P. Pier, S. M. Orn-
stein, and G. McDaniel. "The Dorado:
A High-Performance Personal Com-
puter" (three papers). Report CSL-81-1.
Palo Alto, CA: Xerox PARC, January
1981.
4. Metcalfe, R. M., D. R. Boggs, R. C.
Crane, E. A. Taft, J. F. Shoch, and J. A.
Hupp. 'The Ethernet Local Network"
(three papers). Report CSL-80-2. Palo
Alto, CA: Xerox PARC, February 1980.
5. Warnock, J. and D. Wyatt. "A Device-
Independent Graphics Imaging Model
For Use With Raster Devices." Computer
Graphics. July 1982, pages 313-320.
(Siggraph 1982).
Glossary
accidental - the prefix sign indicating a note
that is foreign to the current key
beam - a bar (or bars) joining the stems of a
set of notes that together form a rhythmic unit;
the number of bars also indicates the time
values of the notes so joined
chord - a group of notes played simultaneously
clef - (e.g., treble or bass) a sign placed at the
beginning of a musical staff to determine the
positions of the notes
fermata - a sign indicating that a note should
be held past its normal value
grace note - a quick, light note attached to
another note
metronome - a machine that clicks at a steady
beat and can be adjusted to desired speed
mordent - a single rapid alteration of a prin-
cipal note with an auxiliary a half-step below
n-tuplets - n notes, played in one beat
ottava - a notation for designating a section of
music to be played an octave above or below
where it is written
rest - a sign indicating silence of the same dura-
tion as the note for which it stands
staccato - indicates a note played crisply, in a
detached manner
time signature - numbers at left of staff that
indicate the number of beats to a measurt and
the note value of each beat
trill - an ornament produced by the rapid altera-
tions of two notes, a half-tone or a tone apart
Acknowledgments
Mockingbird was made possible by a fortuitous
convergence of people, interests, and facilities.
The environment at Xerox PARC in general, and
within the Computer Science Laboratory (CSL)
in particular, provided a hospitable environment
for this work. The existence of, and access to,
a Dorado was absolutely essential Robert W,
Taylor, director of CSL, provided us with this
and all other necessary facilities and support.
Will Crowther worked closely with us on the
initial design and helped us get started. John
Warnock and Doug Wyatt provided us with the,
Cedar Graphics software package that Mock-
ingbird uses. Gene McDaniel wrote special
Dorado microcode for handling the synthesizer,
and Mike Overton built the hardware interface,
last, and most gratifying of all, has been the
enthusiastic support that we received from our
colleagues, whose vicarious pleasure in seeing
Mockingbird come to life cheered us along the
way.
John Turner Maxwell III and Severo M. Ornstein
can be reached at the Palo Alto Research Center,
3333 Coyote Hill Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94304.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 401
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IQ TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
11811 N. E. First Street
Bellevue,WA 98005
TELEX 701 472 IQTECHUD
The VU68K Single-Board
Computer
A 68000-based system for only $200
by Edward M. Carter and A. B. Bonds
As more and more 16-bit micropro-
cessors appear on the market, the
question of which one to base a de-
velopment or hobbyist system on be-
comes more difficult. Ideally, most
hobbyists and students would base
their decision on thorough hands-on
experience, but getting hold of inex-
pensive trainers is almost impossible.
There is relief, however— the VU68K,
a complete 68000-based single-board
computer that can be constructed for
under $200. The VU68K is not a toy
but a powerful dual-ported comput-
ing engine that is limited only by its
small memory, which can easily be
expanded.
Hardware Description
We set out to design a simple and
low-cost 16-bit microprocessor system
that would offer maximum utility in
both tutorial and development appli-
cations. Of the 16-bit processors that
we examined, our overwhelming
choice was the 68000, which offers
both simplicity and substantial pro-
cessing power. This power is evident
in its comprehensive instruction set,
which supports two processing
modes and a powerful interrupt-
processing facility (also called
exception processing). A secondary,
yet significant, benefit is the 68000's
sales leadership. The VU68K system
thus provides the user with market-
able and timely knowledge. Addi-
tional reasons for selecting the 68000
include proven reliability and a com-
mitment on the part of Motorola to
maintain compatibility between its
new chips and the 68000.
The 68000 uses "words" (the name
for the instructions or data that the
microprocessor operates on) of 16 bits
or 2 bytes in "width." (Recall that an
8-bit microprocessor uses words of 8
bits in width.) We decided to include
2K words of ROM (read-only mem-
ory) with the VU68K for a monitor,
and 2K words of RAM (random-
access read/write memory) for devel-
oping and testing user programs.
This gives the VU68K a total memory
of 4K words in "length" and 16 bits
in "width." In addition, we added
two RS-232C-compatible serial ports
for connection to a modem, a printer,
or what have you.
We were able to include these fea-
tures at very low cost. The parts list
in table 1 shows prices from a major
retail supplier of electronics parts. All
of the parts are readily available and
can be obtained from many sources.
The prices shown are from a single
catalog— a little bargain hunting
would probably yield a much less ex-
pensive system. Note that the total
cost of $190.22 is for a complete sys-
tem built from scratch. It includes the
costs of resistors, capacitors, wire, cir-
cuit board, etc. The cost of upgrad-
ing from an 8-bit computer to a
VU68K configuration will be much
less, assuming that the memories,
circuit board, crystals, etc., from the
old system can be retained.
Photo 1 and the schematic in figure
1 show how simple our design is.
Only 15 ICs (integrated circuits) are
required for the entire VU68K sys-
tem. The functions of these 15 ICs
can be divided into six categories:
asynchronous bus operation, syn-
chronous bus operation, interrupt
handling, address decoding, commu-
nications interface, and miscel-
laneous support.
Asynchronous Bus Operation
The 68000 (IC2) is designed to com-
municate asynchronously on the sys-
tem bus; that is, without a timing sig-
nal and with any amount of time be-
tween data bytes or words. To in-
dicate when data has been received
or sent, the device with which the
68000 is communicating sends an
Circle 467 on inquiry card.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 403
acknowledgment signal to the 68000.
This way, the device and the 68000
can operate at different rates and still
communicate with each other,
because one waits for the other to
finish reading or writing. (See the
Motorola MC68000 16-Bit Micro-
processor User's Manual for the details
on 68000 asynchronous bus commu-
nication.)
In the VU68K, only the RAM (IC9,
IC10) and ROM (IC7, IC8) communi-
cate asynchronously on the data bus.
Since the memories don't themselves
have an acknowledgment signal, we
synthesized one with a synchronous
4-bit counter (IC4) driven by a sim-
ple oscillator circuit and 5-MHz
crystal. JA^hen the address strobe
signal, AS, goes low to signal a valid
address on the address bus, an initial
count of 1100 is loaded into the
counter. After four clock ticks, the
high-order output bit, connec ted to
the acknowledge pin DTACK (data
transfer acknowledge) goes low. The
transition signals that the data re-
quested by the processor is available
Text continued on page 411
IC
Part Number
Description
Cost ($)
1
7400
Quad 2-input NAND Gate
.19
! 2
68000G8
MPU 16-bit (8 MHz)
69.95
3
7404
Hex Inverter
.25
4
74161
Synchronous 4-bit Counter
.69
5
74154
4-to-16 Decoder
1.25
6
7432
Quad 2-input OR Gate
.29
7
2716
16K EPROM 450ns
4.95
8
2716
16K EPROM 450ns
4.95
9
6116-P4
Static RAM 200ns 16K CMOS
6.95
10
6116-P4
Static RAM 200ns 16K CMOS
6.95
11
6850
Async. Comm. Int. Adapter
4.95
12
6850
Async. Comm. Int. Adapter
4.95
13
14411
Bit-rate Freq. Generator
11.95
14
1488
Quad Line Driver
.69
15
1489
Quad Line Receiver
.69
—
8800V
Vector Board
24.95
—
7812
12-volt Positive Regulator
.79
—
7912
12-volt Negative Regulator
.89
—
—
5 MHz Crystal
2.95
—
—
1.8432 MHz Crystal
4.95
—
—
Capacitors, Resistors, Wire
"4.25
—
—
Pushbutton Switch
1.95
—
—
8-position DIP Switch
1.49
—
—
14-pin Wire-wrap Socket
5 @ .45
—
—
16-pin Wire-wrap Socket
2 @ .69
—
—
24-pin Wire-wrap Socket
8 @ 1.29
—
—
64-pin Wire-wrap Socket
14.40
Table 1:
Parts list.
V-ift
■-.. ;../,
Photo 1: The VU68K board.
404 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
CompuShach
PRICES AND AVAILABILITY SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
ALL RETURNED MERCHANDISE SUBJECT TO A 20% RESTOCKING FEE.
ADD 10% FOR NET TERMS
PRICES GOOD IN U.S. ONLY.
PRICES REFLECTED IN THIS
SECTION ARE LOWER THAN FRANCHISE STORES.
WE TEST EVERY COMPUTER SYSTEM BEFORE WE SHIP IT!
AST RESEARCH
IO Plus-Parallel & Serial Port, Clock
Calendar W/Bat. back-up. Superdrive.
Superspool $ 199.00
Combo Plus— 256K, Parallel & Serial Port, Clock
Calendar W/Bat. back-up. Superdrive.
Superspool $499.00
Mega Plus— 512K, Parallel & Serial Port, Clock
Calendar W/Bat. back-up $999.00
QUADRAM
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$599.00
512K Ram with Serial I/O $ 799.00
CONOGRAPHIC
Color Card $995.00
HERCULES GRAPHICS CARD
This card gives you 720x350
graphics $499.00
BIG BLUE $479.00
MAYNARD SANDSTAR SERIES
Multifunction Card $95.00
Floppy Disk Controller $225.00
Memory Card $189.00
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High Res. Color $499
FLOPPY DISK DRIVES
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TM-848-1 SS/DD $349
TM-848-2 DS/DD $399
SIEMENS
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DISK DRIVES
For IBM PC
Tandon 100-2 CALL
320KB DS/DD Disk Drive for IBM PC $199.00
Add On Drive For PC Jr®
SCALL
PRINTERS
BROTHER
HR-1 A parallel . . .
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$2695 3550 $1995
7725-1 $2695 PC8023A .
$ 595
APPLE He Cl|ypKZ@
Computer System Controller, Two Disk Drives,
Monitor $1699
ROMAR II Apple compatible Computer
W/Z-Card Controller, Two Disk Drives and a
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OTHER PRODUCTS
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k $179
TAVA CORP.
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CompuShach
THE UNIQUE FRANCHISING
CONCEPT WITH THE
FOLLOWING FEATURES:
PRIVATE LABEL PRODUCTS
WITH NO ROYALTIES,
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Circle 85 on inquiry card.
(714) 261-1000
FRANCHISE INQUIRIES WELCOME
16861 ARMSTRONG, IRVINE, CA 92714
HEADQUARTERS/TELEX: 181667— ANSWER BACK: COMPDSHACK IRIN
•IBM is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation
"APPLE is a registered trademark of Apple Computers. Inc
'CP/M and CP/M86 are registered trademarks of Digital Research. Inc.
PRODUCTS AND PRICES NOT AVAILABLE
AT ALL STORES
ALL FLOPPIES REPAIRED QUICKLY AT LOW COST
CALL FOR STORE
LOCATION
5MHz
I 1C15
i 1489
FROM
TERMINAL
o-
I 4
FROM
SERIAL O-
LINE
10
H
6 I
I
I I
He 14 I
TERMINAL v ^^
SERIAL <3"
LINE
1488
6
I 8
NOTES:
1. V cc + 6ND NOT SHOWN ON ANY
DEVICE
2. POWER SUPPLIES REQUIRED:
+ 5VDC, +12VDC, -12VDC
3. CAPACITORS REQUIRED: 100/iF. 0.01-
0.1/xF FOR EACH PACKAGE
4. SUPPORTS ONE TERMINAL AND
ONE OTHER SERIAL PORT
+ 5V
IC3
7404
l
IC4
74161
COUNTER
CLK
,, 5
+ 5V
6
2
io T
3
1
7
ii
D 8 -
i
h!
9
n
/
I I
Figure 1: The VU68K schematic.
406 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 407
HHpV
MjW
FTiTT
■
JiU
■ II™
I ■
i];j[r
TTiTI
i! Ty
Tjjjf]
"^r-'l
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^
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ffi*V
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aft*
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ROBOTRON: 20B4 is a trademark and © of Williams 1982. manu-
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Text continued from page 404:
on the bus. With a clock speed of 5
MHz, this provides 800 nanoseconds
(ns) for the transfer to occur.
Synchronous Bus Operation
In the design of the 68000, Moto-
rola recognized that a large number
of 8-bit synchronous peripherals are
available and familiar to many peo-
ple. These devices depend on the
timing signals generated by the 6800
family of processors for data commu-
nication. To provide compatibility,
the 68000 can also generate a syn-
chronous timing signal.
When the AS line is asserted (low),
the sync hron ous peripherals must
pull the VPA (valid peripheral ad-
dress) processor pin low to ge nerate
the synchronous timing signals VMA
(valid memory address) and E
(enable). In the VU68K, the only set
of devices that uses synchronous
transfers is the Asynchronous Com-
munications Interface Adapters or
ACIAs (IC11, IC12), which drive the
two serial ports (note that the term
asynchronous here refers to the
RS-232C standard and not the bus
protocol). These two ports may be ac-
cessed at addresses $A00000-$A00002
and $C00000-$C00002. (For the re-
mainder of this article, the prefix "$"
will denote a hexadecimal address.)
Address line A23 is tied to the pro-
cessor's VPA pin through an inverter
(IC3). When either ACIA is sele cted,
A23 must be high, which pulls VPA
low and initiates the synchronous
data transfer. After the transfer is
complete, the processor automati-
cally resumes asynchronous opera-
tion. This scheme limits addresses
using A23 to synchronous devices
only.
Interrupt Handling
The 68000 has two modes of inter-
rupt processing: normal and alter-
nate. In the normal mode, the pro-
cessor responds to an interrupt re-
quest by placing the level number of
the interrupt on bits Al- A3 of the ad-
dress bus and driving the function
code lines FC0-FC2 high. The inter-
rupting device then must place a vec-
tor num ber on the data bus and pull
DIACK low to signal the 68000 that
the vector number is available. The
Address
Device
$000000-$000FFF
$001000-$001FFF
$A00000-$A00002
$C00000-$C00002
ROM
RAM
Terminal
Serial Port
Table 2: The address
map.
68000 uses this vector number to ac-
quire the service-routine address
from the vector table in low memory.
In the alternate mode, known as
auto-vectoring, the processor again
places the level number of the inter-
rupt on A1-A3 and drives FC0-FC2
high. Then, instead of placing a vec-
tor number on the data bu s, th e in-
terrupting device pulls the VPA pro-
cessor pin low. This causes the pro-
cessor to acquire the service-routine
address from the position in the vec-
tor table that corresponds to the in-
terrupt level. Therefore, in auto-
vector mode, there are seven inter-
rupt vectors, each of which is associ-
ated with one level of interrupt.
The VU68K uses the auto-vector
mode for interrupts. When the 68000
responds to an interrupt, all address
bus lines except A1-A3 are d riven
high. Since A23 is connected to VPA
through an inverter to support syn-
chronous transfers, the processor is
forced into the auto-vector mode for
all interrupts.
The VU68K acknowledges only
two levels of interrupt: level 1 for key-
board serial-port interrupts and level
2 for communication serial-port inter-
rupts. Int errup t s are signaled by lines
IPL0 and IPL1. IPL2 is always main-
tained high. This interrupt structure
enables the keyboard and communi-
cation serial ports to be used simul-
taneously.
Address Decoding
The VU68K's memory is divided
into 2K-word by 16-bit memory
blocks, with a total potential of 32K
words. The reason for this arrange-
ment is that the VU68K uses only 11
of the 68000's address bits for word
selection and another 4 address bits
for memory-block selection. The 11
bits select one of 2K words, while the
other 4 bits select one of sixteen 2K-
word blocks. Since each block con-
tains 2K words, the total memory ca-
pacity is 2K by 16 or 32K words.
The word-selection bits, Al-All,
go directly to each of the ROM and
RAM ICs. The block-selection bits,
A12-A15, go to a 4-to-16 decoder
(IC5). The decoder, through the IC6
OR gates, pulls the output enable
(OE) lines of the selected 2K-word
block low to activate that block. Since
the data bus on the 68000 is 16 bits
wide and the memory ICs used in
the VU68K are each 8 bits wide, we
had to use two memory ICs for each
16-bit-wide memory block. One of
the memory ICs is assigned to the
high-order 8 bits of the data bus,
while the other is assigned to the
low-order 8 bits.
The VU68K uses the 68000's UDS
and LDS lines to control the method
by which data is transferred to or
from memory. If both lines are low,
then data transfers occur in 16-bit
words. If only one of the lines is low,
then transfers occur one byte at a
time. Note that two memory chips
are active for a 16-bit transfer, while
only one chip is selected for an 8-bit
transfer. To select the correct device
for a memory transfer, the output of
the decoder is co mbine d th rough an
OR gate with the UDS and LDS sig-
nal to generate four signals— RAME,
RAMO, ROME, ROMO— for select-
ing the correct memory device. The
address map is shown in table 2.
To add memory or other asynchro-
nous devices to the VU68K, all we
have to do is select an address in the
lower 64K bytes of memory. The
high-order 4 bits of this new address
cause one pin of the address decoder
to be driven low. The output from
this pin can then be used with addi-
tional decoding logic for selecting the
new device. Adding a new asynchro-
nous peripheral is even easier. Just
select an address that sets address bit
A23 and is not used by any other
device. Addresses that set bit A23 are
in the range $800000-$FFFFFF.
Let's assume that we wish to add
another 2K-word block. We'll place
two 6116 static RAM chips, 2K by 8
bits each, at addresses $002000-
$002FFF. From the address map in
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 411
table 2 we can see that these locations
are not currently used. The new
RAM select line will be pin 3 of the
address decoder output. Two addi-
tional OR gates will be required to
ensure that the device assigned to the
upper and lower portion of the bus
is addressed only when dictated by
the appropriate setting of UDS and
LDS. The address map in table 3 rep-
resents the new configuration.
If we want to add a new synchro-
nous device, the address extension is
even simpler. Let's assume that we
wish to add another serial port. The
Motorola 6850 we used earlier is a
serial port chip that requires three
chip selects, two in the high state and
one in the low state. If we tie one of
these to a high state and then use the
other two select lines, we can safely
use addresses $900000-$900002 for
the device's control/status and data
registers, respectively. This address
avoids conflict with the other two
synchronous devices and allows us to
drive the device select lines without
additional logic. The high select line
will be address line A20, and the low
select line will be address line A21.
Table 4 is an address map that in-
cludes the new memory and serial
port.
To enhance the interrupt structure
so that not all interrupts are handled
in the auto-vector mode, make sure
that the synchronous mode-select
line is still driven high when the ter-
minal and serial ports are addressed.
Discrete logic can easily remedy this
problem.
Communications Interface
The basis of the VU68K's commu-
nication facility is the ACIA. This
8-bit device communicates synchro-
nously on the data bus and asynchro-
nously on the external RS-232C line.
Both ACIA devices in the VU68K are
initialized by the monitor software to
handle full-duplex RS-232C lines
with two stop bits and no parity. You
can change these characteristics by
moving new values to the terminal
and serial port control registers at
locations $A00000 and $C00000, re-
spectively. The values to be loaded
there can be determined from the
Motorola 6850 data sheet.
Address
Device
$000000-$000FFF
ROM
$001000-$001FFF
RAM
$002000-$002FFF
New RAM
$A00000-$A00002
Terminal
$C00000-$C00002
Serial Port
Table 3: The extended address map.
Address
Device
$000000-$000FFF
ROM
$001000-$001FFF
RAM
$002000-$002FFF
New RAM
$900000-$900002
New Serial Port
$A00000-$A00002
Terminal
$C00000-$C00002
Serial Port
Table 4: The extended address map with
a serial port added.
vector Address
Interrupt
$1000
User Trap-vector B
$1004
User Trap-vector C
$1008
User Trap-vector D
$100C
User Trap-vector E
$1010
User Trap-vector F
$1014
User Interrupt-vector 1
$1018
User Interrupt-vector 2
$101C
User Interrupt-vector 3
$1020
User Interrupt-vector 4
$1024
User Interrupt-vector 5
$1028
Auto-vector Level 3
$102C
Auto- vector Level 4
$1030
Auto-vector Level 5
$1034
Auto- vector Level 6
$1038
Auto-vector Level 7
Table 5: User
interrupt-vectors.
We added two line conditioners
after the ACIAs to provide RS-232C
logic levels to the external lines. We
used 1488 and 1489 quad line-drivers/
receivers (IC14, IC15) for this pur-
pose. A 14411 bit-rate frequency
generator (IC13) and a 1.8432-MHz
crystal tell the ACIAs at what data
rate they may transmit and receive on
the RS-232C lines. Data rates are
switch selectable through a dual in-
line package (DIP) switch and may be
selected independently for either the
terminal or communication serial
port. The allowable data rates are 300,
1200, 2400, and 9600 bps. You can use
other data rates by connecting the
DIP switch to the proper pins on the
14411. All interrupts generated by the
terminal or communication serial
port are handled by the interrupt-
service routines in the monitor,
which we will describe later.
Miscellaneous Support
The only devices we haven't yet
covered are the reset and clock cir-
cuits. The reset circuit is simply a de-
bounced sw itch th at pulls both the
RESET and HALT pins of the pro-
cessor low. These pins must be held
low for at least 100 milliseconds for
the reset operation to function cor-
rectly. In the VU68K, we used a
push-on/push-off switch to do this.
You can use a conventional momen-
tary contact switch if you ensure that
the switch is off for at least 100 milli-
seconds.
The clock circuit is an oscillator cir-
cuit driven by a 5-MHz crystal. The
resulting signal, CLK, drives both the
processor clock and the counter used
in asynchronous accesses.
A Monitor Program
To support the hardware of the
VU68K, we developed a comprehen-
sive monitor program called
VUBUG. VUBUG provides a set of
program-development support ser-
vices that includes I/O (input/output)
buffering, program-development
commands, trap handlers, and error-
handling utilities.
VUBUG provides buffered I/O for
both the terminal and communica-
tion serial port. Separate interrupt-
handling routines for these devices
located at level 1 and level 2 of the in-
terrupt structure, respectively, pro-
vide a complete set of facilities for im-
plementing concurrent buffered I/O.
When a port generates an interrupt,
VUBUG causes the processor to read
the port and place the data in a buf-
fer that can store 16 bytes. A trap in-
struction, which we will discuss later,
retrieves the data. Interrupts from the
terminal keyboard cause the charac-
ter read to be echoed immediately as
well as buffered.
The VUBUG interrupt structure in-
cludes five auto-vectors, the first five
user interrupt-vectors, and five user
trap-vectors, which are loaded by the
monitor to point to the locations
shown in table 5. At each of these
412 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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locations, you may assemble a branch
instruction to an exception handler
that you provide. The 4 bytes set
aside for each vector allows for a
branch with a 16-bit displacement. Be
careful to terminate these exception
handlers with an RTE instruction to
ensure proper return from the excep-
tion handler.
VUBUG supports a set of com-
mands that we've selected to support
the goal of simplicity. Table 6 sum-
marizes the available commands and
subcommands. Perhaps the most
powerful command for program de-
velopment is a combination of the
Trace (t + ) and Breakpoint (b + ) com-
mands. Trace is an instruction-by-
instruction trace of the value of the
user program counter; it shows the
Command
Action
m<cr>
Start memory mode
m xxxx
Start memory mode at xxxx
.xxxx
Set pointer to xxxx
= xx
Store value xx at address in pointer
,xx
Increment pointer and store xx
+
Increment pointer and display value
-
Decrement pointer and display value
I<cr>
Start program load
1 xxxx
Start program load and offset each block by xxxx bytes
d<cr>
Display the next 80 bytes from memory pointer
d xxxx < cr>
Display 80 bytes starting at address xxxx
d xxxx.yyyy
Display all data between locations xxxx and yyyy inclusive
t +
Start trace
t-
Stop trace
s +
Start single step
s-
Stop single step
e
Start terminal emulator mode
g xxxx
Start program at address xxxx
g<cr>
Start user program from address in user PC
<cr>
Same as g<cr>
b + xxxx
Insert a breakpoint at address xxxx
b - xxxx
Remove a breakpoint at address xxxx
b<cr>
Show all breakpoints
b#
Remove all breakpoints
r<cr>
Start register mode
r xx
Start register mode at register xx where xx is:
SR/sr status register
PC/pc program counter
DO/dO -D7/d7 data registers
AO/aO - A7/a7 address registers
.XX
Set register pointer to register xx
1 = xxxxxxxx
Store value in register at pointer for SR value is xxxx
<cr>
Print values in all registers
px yyyy
Associate with px the program starting at address yyyy; where x is
1, 2, or 3
px<cr>
Execute command px where x is 1, 2, or 3
c xxxx = yyyy,zzzz
Copy from location yyyy through location zzzz to locations starting
at xxxx and increasing
Table 6: Command
summary.
Place
Argument
Return Argument is
Trap
Function
in Rec
ister
Placed in Register
Exit
None
None
1
Get byte
None
DO
2
Get word
None
DO
3
Get long
None
DO
4
Write byte
DO
None
5
Write word
DO
None
6
Write long
DO
None
7
Get character
None
DO
8
Write string
A0
None
9
Write character
DO
None
A
Write cr-lf
None
None
Table 7:
VUBUG traps.
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January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 415
program's execution path. Breakpoint
stops the program at the address you
select. With these two commands, a
user may see the instructions leading
to a breakpoint and then use the
other commands available in VUBUG
to examine registers and memory to
determine why that path was taken
or to modify the path that will be
taken after the breakpoint.
The VUBUG monitor provides 11
traps for servicing user-program re-
quests. These traps are called simply
by executing the appropriate trap in-
struction with the appropriate argu-
ment, as shown in table 7. In addi-
tion to these trap handlers, you can
use traps B through F with the vec-
tors at locations shown in table 5.
Error handling, or exception pro-
cessing, for processor-detected errors,
is also provided by VUBUG. Error
handling involves intercepting the in-
terrupt and reporting the error on the
terminal. In addition, the register
values are copied into the register
save area and are accessible via the
r command. The errors trapped in-
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elude address/bus errors, illegal in-
struction errors, privilege violations,
and a class of generic errors that
share a single error handler. The er-
rors in this class are zero divide, CHK
and TRAPV, and spurious interrupts.
Rounding Out
For a complete development sys-
tem, you'll need an RS-232C ter-
minal, a power supply that provides
+5 volts at 0.5 amperes, and +12 and
- 12 volts at 0.1 amperes, and a host
computer.
Development software on the host
should include a disassembler, high-
level language processors, cross-ref-
erence builders, machine simulators,
and so forth. The only additional
software required is a simple pro-
gram to send the object program to
the serial port for loading. Only your
imagination and the capabilities of
the host limit its use.H
This system is currently running at
Vanderbilt University and is proving to be
an easy method for designing and testing
software to run on the VU68K. Readers
who desire more information on the
VU68K and VUBUG can, for a nominal
fee, order a copy of Vanderbilt University
Computer Science Technical Report
CS-83-01 from the following address:
FOB 1679
Station B
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN 37235
The authors would like to thank the Com-
puter Science and Electrical Engineering
departments of Vanderbilt University for
their support in VU68K system design and
realization. Special thanks to Motorola
Corporation for its assistance in the hard-
ware design.
Edward M. Carter teaches computer science at
the US. Air Force Academy. This work was com-
pleted while he was doing graduate work at Vander-
bilt University in Nashville. He has a B.S. from the
U.S. Air Force Academy, an M.S. from U.C.L.A.,
and a Ph.D. frvm Vanderbilt. He can be reached at
USAFA/DFCS, USAFA CO 80840.
A. B. Bonds teaches electrical engineering at
Vanderbilt. He holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineer-
ing and is currently studying models of informa-
tion processing in mammalian visual systems. He
also likes "to mess with antique autos." He can be
reached at Vanderbilt University, POB 1824B,
Nashville, TN 37235.
416 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 317 on inquiry card.
Translating the SAS
Language into BASIC
Use of a preprocessor program lets you run SAS-like syntax on
microcomputers
This article examines issues that
arose when I implemented a prepro-
cessor program to translate SAS-like
program statements to statements in
version 5 of Microsoft BASIC. It is
easier to use a preprocessor program
than to write a true SAS compiler for
a microcomputer because the source
and object languages of Microsoft
BASIC'S version 5 used with a pre-
processor are more similar to each
other than to those a compiler would
utilize. An overview of SAS appears
in the text box on page 433 and pro-
vides an introduction to the lan-
guage.
Special SAS Features
Unlike SAS, traditional program-
ming languages require the develop-
ment of a data structure for each file
as well as a data structure for all pro-
gram variables and algorithms for
manipulating these elements. SAS
syntax, however, allows a program-
mer to take advantage of an invisible
data file structure (the SAS data set)
and a means of relating that structure
to the program variables. In SAS pro-
grams that deal with a data set, all
variables are referred to by an eight-
character name, without regard to
SAS is a registered trademark of SAS Institute Inc.
by Jeff Bass
such factors as column positions.
SAS also provides a large library of
programs that interact directly with
this standard data structure. These
features, which make SAS popular
for use on mainframes, also make its
syntax attractive for use on micro-
computers; the size of its program
library has thus far, however, pro-
hibited the language's use on micro-
computers.
The most commonly used lan-
guage for microcomputers is BASIC.
It's a primitive language compared to
full SAS syntax, but small and easy
enough to implement as an inter-
preter. Thus, it is almost universally
used on microcomputers, where it's
stored in ROM and therefore easily
accessible. Kernighan and Plaugher
in Software Tools (Reading, MA:
Addison-Wesley, 1976) demonstrate
how to deal with the problem of
working with a less-than-optimum
yet readily available language, such
as BASIC, when you would prefer to
work with another (SAS, for exam-
ple). They show how to use a pro-
gram called a preprocessor to trans-
late RATFOR program statements,
which they like to use, into a program
composed of FORTRAN statements,
which would be usable on their
machine.
I have written a preprocessor pro-
gram that similarly translates SAS-
like program statements into equiva-
lent BASIC statements and thus per-
mits SAS-like programs to run on a
microcomputer. The preprocessor ap-
proach, combined with the inter-
pretive nature of BASIC, makes the
resultant programs run slowly, but it
has nevertheless proved practical for
small programs and data sets. Re-
searchers should find such a prepro-
cessor useful with a relatively small
data set— for instance, one with 200
to 300 observations of 30 variables.
Such a preprocessor also could be
used in teaching computer skills with
microcomputers.
The remainder of this article ex-
amines the choice of a SAS-syntax
subset, the strong and weak points
of the BASIC dialect used, the meth-
od chosen for representing data, and
preprocessor techniques employed.
It concludes with a suggestion for an
area to explore in the future.
SAS Syntax Features
The SAS syntax is very similar to
that of PL/I in format and scope.
Therefore, writing a preprocessor
program that would implement the
entire language on a microcomputer
seemed impossible. I had to make
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 417
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some difficult choices: what was too
important to leave out, and which
processes were too long to keep? SAS
processes, abbreviated as procs, op-
erate as subroutines, although they
are actually primitives of the lan-
guage. A few candidates were elimi-
nated: Proc Matrix, which requires
that all matrices be held in memory,
and Proc Sysreg, which requires that
large sigma matrices be stored in
memory. In addition, Proc BMDP
(biomedical data processing) was
eliminated because it wasn't available
for use on microcomputers, and Proc
Convert was not used because the
types of data sets it converts would
not be found on a microcomputer.
Operating-system utilities that would
not be useful on a microcomputer
were also left out.
Even with these processes omitted,
far too many remained for one per-
son to code in a reasonable amount
of time, so I decided to concentrate
on the 10 I use most frequently:
SORT, PRINT, CONTENTS, COPY,
CORR, DELETE, MEANS, FREQ,
GLM (general linear models pro-
cedure), and PLOT Any two SAS
users would probably argue about
the wisdom of these choices, but
these procs did provide a reasonable
place to begin.
Each process would become a
BASIC program, chained (executed in
sequence) from the preceding BASIC
program corresponding to a process
or data step. Subsetting the data step
proved difficult; however, one goal
was sufficiently important to domi-
nate the procedure: MAS (microcom-
puter analysis system) should be a
true subset of the commonly accepted
SAS syntax, thus making it unneces-
sary for users to learn another syn-
tax. To be a true subset, it would have
to maintain the original SAS syntax
and spelling; deletion of features
would be the only acceptable change.
This decision made it easy to drop
features of the data step that would
be the most difficult to implement on
a microcomputer, such as those for-
mats usable on mainframes. Because
data sets used on a microcomputer
are likely to have been typed in by
the user (or to be sufficiently small
to permit a user to type them), a pro-
fusion of formats for dealing with
widely varied data is less useful on
a microcomputer than it would be on
a mainframe. Therefore, I decided to
limit raw data input to list input and
to eliminate formats from raw data as
well. Also, because of their imple-
mentation and limited usefulness in
small data sets, the ARRAY statement
and its associated DO OVER state-
ment were also left out. Most of the
remaining data-step statements were
implemented.
Special Features of BASIC
Version 5
Using even a complex preprocessor
to translate SAS syntax to an ordinary
or standard dialect of BASIC was ex-
tremely difficult. I chose the most
common version of BASIC used on
microcomputers, Microsoft, which is
used on many 8- and 16-bit ma-
chines. Versions of Microsoft BASIC
are also the built-in language of
Apple, IBM, and other popular
SAS's syntax resembles
that of PL/I in scope
and format.
microcomputers. In addition, BASIC
is available for computers that run
CP/M-86.
The current release from Microsoft,
version 5, is more than an extended
dialect of BASIC, however. It is nearly
a complete operating system, per-
forming many of the functions that
JCL (job control language) provides
for the mainframe SAS package, in-
cluding creating, deleting, and re-
naming disk data sets and chaining
programs. This release also allows
common variables and files between
such chained programs. In addition,
Microsoft BASIC permits IF. . .THEN
. . .ELSE constructs and such struc-
tured control statements as WHILE
. . .WEND (equivalent to SAS 82's
DO. . .WHILE. . .END statement).
Moreover, it permits double-precision
calculations, 40-character variable
names, and character variables with
as many as 255 characters. Version 5's
most important feature, however, is
its ability to write BASIC program text
to a disk file and then execute that
418 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
HAPPY NEW YEAR,
DARLING!
1984 is going to be his year, and he's ready. Each
day holds opportunity: The right man in the right place,
and always prepared. This is the year he'll do it all.
1984 is her chance to shift from "promising" to
valuable. Her skills and attitudes are right. With a little
savvy, this is the year she'll have it all.
Their secret is ARIS, the Action Resource
Information System. The final element for success.
Now Ted's performance is really getting noticed.
ARIS organizes his needs, manages his priorities,
keeps track of his busy schedule. ARIS eases his work
load by placing his calls, outlining his reports, and
updating his client records-automatically. And, the
built-in word processor has all the features he wants.
Ted s getting more work done, faster; more effectively.
With ARIS, Ted achieves the real management
results he needs.
Susan threw out her old organizer. ARIS prints
her action lists, confirms her meetings, even updates
her pocket diary. She loves the simplicity of a single
program managing her work and her computer.
ARIS reveals the true value of total software inte-
gration. Now when Susan changes her database, the
right information appears instantly in her client
files, in her correspondence — everywhere she needs
it. ARIS deals with the big issues and the little details,
so Susan can focus on her goals.
The Action Resource Information System is
their total professional support system. ARIS brings
out their very best: excellence in everything.
Now, what's your New Year's resolution?
esc
EXCEL
SYSTEMS CORPORATION
655 Redwood Highway ♦ Suite 311 ♦ Mill Valley, CA 94941
Ask your Dealer to demonstrate the entire EXCEL SYSTEMS line for you.
Circle 459 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 419
Circle 143 on inquiry card.
r
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1200 Baud $490
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J-Cat $115
A plecat II $260
2/2 Auto Cat $575
D-Cat Modem $165
Anchor Automation
Mark I $83
HUE
IBM RS-232 M-F $35
IBM Printer
Cable (PAR) 35
Elephant [5'//)
SS/SD Soft Sec (ID! .... $18
SS/DD Soft Sec (10J .... $22
OS/OD Soft Sec (10) .... $28
Maxel (5'A"|
SS/DD Soft Sec I10J .... $27
DS/00 Soft Sec 110) .... $39
TERMS:
free shipping, except monitors
and printers We will match any price providing it is
not below our cost. All brands are registered trademarks.
Products subject to availability
Micro-Sci
A2 143K wo/Cont .... $229
A2/40/70 Cont. Card .... $79
A40 164K wo/Cont .... $285
A70 286K wo/Cont .... $365
Rana
Elite I $269
Elite II $459
Elite III $595
Elite Controller $95
Fourth Dimension
Controller Card $ 55
P-D Disk Drive $225
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Vidioterm/SS/INV S245
fnhancer II $99
Function Strip $59
PSIOCard $176
Applewriterll Pre-boot ... $15
V-Calc BO Pre-boot $38
V -Calc80W/Mem.Exp ... $6 9
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We carry a complete line of software
HEROISM IN THE
MODERN AGE
THE ROLE-PLAYING GAME OF TODAY
@ Copyright 1983 Pnciffclnfol*chC*fp.
A sophisticated simulation of
modern life and human psychology.
Includes: BASIC MODULE -
create and guide characters
through their lives...
PROJECT CONTACT (Scenario #1)
— save the U.S.A. from a mad
scientist and terrorist plot... you
have only 60 hours to complete
your mission...
HEROISM IN THE
MODERN AGE is expandable to
other modules and exciting
scenarios.
At your computer store.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
IBM PC* with one double-sided or two single-
sided disk drives, an 80-colunm monitor,
and 64K RAM (96K for DOS 2.0).
Color graphics/adaptor optional.
*IBM PC is a trademark of
International Business Machines Corp.
10850 Wilshire Blvd.,
Suite 800
Los Angeles, CA 90024
U.S.A.
Pacific Infotech Corp.
file— exactly what is needed for a
SAS syntax processor.
But this version of BASIC presents
problems as well as solutions. For ex-
ample, it permits only as many as 15
files to be opened at one time. And
because five files are required for
such functions as keeping an event
log and printing output, only 10 data
sets remain accessible to processes
and data steps. Moreover, because
Microsoft BASIC is an interpreted
language, each line of BASIC code is
translated every time it is en-
countered during program execution.
This can make programs run much
more slowly than programs compiled
into native machine code. And al-
though Microsoft does offer a BASIC
compiler that uses a language similar
to the one its interpreter offers, it
would be difficult to use in the pre-
processor arrangement described
here because it loses the ability to
dynamically dimension arrays and
loses some of the chaining capability
provided by the interpreted BASIC.
Despite these drawbacks, however,
BASIC provides features that make it
a good choice for SAS syntax transla-
tion. First, it provides many functions
that are identical or very similar to
those used in SAS data-step pro-
grams; table 1 lists some examples.
Second, like SAS, it computes the
result of a logical comparison as a
numeric quantity that can then be
used in subsequent calculations.
Consequently, an expression that
categorizes variables, such as
CAT_AGE (AGE<16)*1 +
(AGE >= 16 AND AGE <65)*2 +
(AGE<=65)*3
will work in a BASIC program just as
it does in a SAS program, with the
following exception. In BASIC pro-
grams, the result of a logical com-
parison is equal to - 1 if true and
if false; in SAS programs, those re-
sults would be +1 if true and if
false. The preprocessor could include
code to reverse the sign of all rela-
tional expressions. In the current ver-
sion, however, I chose not to include
it. BASIC also uses fairly understand-
able error messages, such as "file not
found" or "attempt to divide by 0"
420 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 279 on inquiry card.
Some of the best brains
in the computer business
are gathering in Reno to give
you a piece of their minds.
For 3 days in February, Sage Faire '84 gives you an
opportunity to learn where high performance super-
micro computer technology is going.
Someof the finest minds in the computer business
will tell you what's happening, and more important,
what is about to happen.
A series of meetings, discussions and exhibits will
teach you what's going on in software development,
microprocessor technology, new and improved oper-
ating systems, the supermicros, and sales and
marketing.
Exhibitors will include: Digital Research, Ryan
McFarland, Softech Micro Systems, State Of The
Art, Timberline Systems and Whitesmiths.
It all takes place in the fun and excitement of the
MGM Grand Hotel/Casino in Reno, Nevada.
Make plans to attend Sage Faire '84, February 3-5.
It's your chance for a meeting of the minds with the
best brains in the computer business. And a chance to
win a Sage II Computer with software, valued at $5790,
just for attending the Faire.*
For more information and a registration packet in-
cluding travel and lodging discounts, write:
Sage Faire '84
4905 Energy Way, Reno, Nevada 89502
or call Laura Smith at (702) 322-6868.
*Sage Faire exhibitors and speakers, employees of Sage Computer
and their families are not eligible.
February 3-5,1984
Please send information and a registration
packet for Sage Faire '84.
NAME
TITLE
COMPANY
ADDRESS
CITY/STATE/ZIP
SAGE FAIRE 84
4905 Energy Way
Reno, Nevada 89502
Circle 314 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 421
SAVE MORE
THAN EVER ON
3M Scotch
DISKETTES
/ AND OTHER
'COMPUTER NEEDS!
3M Scotch® Diskettes
LIFETIME WARRANTY!
are boxed in
10's with la-
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$195
Qty.20
ea.5 1 /4"SSDD
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5Va" DSDD
(745)
$9ZQ
^^ Qty. 20
5 Va" SSQD-96TPI (746) $2.89 ea.
5Va" DSQD-96TPI (747) $3.95 ea.
8"SSSD(740)$2.07ea.
8"SSDD(741)$2.54ea.
8" DSDD (743) $3.30 ea.
SYNCOM Diskettes
LIFETIME WARRANTY!
are a great bar-
gain. Packed in
polybags of 10 with envelopes, labels and
reinforced hubs.
5W'SSDD$1.39ea.
5W DSDD $1.85 ea.
Disk Caddies
the original flip-up disk holder for 10
diskettes. Beige or grey only.
5W'$1 65 ea.
8»$2 29 ea.
FLIP 'N FILE
— Redesigned for better appearance and
greater ease of use. FLIP 'N FILE 25
holds 25 5 W diskettes; FLIP 'N FILE 50
holds 50 5Va" diskettes.
FLIP 'N FILE 25
Retail $29.95
...DW Price
$1750
+ $4.00Shpng.
FLIP TM FILE 50
Retail $39.95
...DW Price
$2350
+ $5.00Shpng.
Minimum Order: $35.00
Shipping: Diskettes Only: $3.00 per 200 diskettes or
fraction. Other Items: As shown in addition to diskette
shipping charges. Payment: VISA, MASTERCARD,
check or CO.D. (CO.D. customers please add $1.65.)
Taxes: Illinois customers add 7%.
WE WILL BEAT ANY NATIONALLY ADVERTISED PRICE!
Nationwide: 1-800-621-6827
Illinois: 1-312-944-2788
DISK WORLD!
Suite4806 • 30 East Huron Street • Chicago, Illinois 60611
Authorized Distributor
Information Processing Products
SAS function
. . . becomes
Microsoft BASIC function
SU BSTR(charvar;startpos,len)
M 1 D$(charvar,startpos,len)
INPUT(charvar.fmt)
VAL(charvar)
PUT(charvar,fmt)
STR$(charvar)
LENGTH(charvar)
LEN(charvar)
ABS(numvar)
ABS(numvar)
FLOOR(numvar)
INT(numvar)
INT(numvar)
FlX(numvar)
SQRT(numvar)
SQR(numvar)
SIN(numvar)
SIN(numvar)
ATAN(numvar)
ATN(numvar)
ARSIN(numvar)
FNARSIN(numvar)
with DEF FNARSIN(x) = ATN(x/SQR(1-x*x))
COSH(numvar)
FNCOSH(numvar)
with DEF FNCOSH(x) = (EXP(x) + EXP(-x))/2
EXP(numvar)
EXP(numvar)
LOG(numvar)
LOG(numvar)
ROUNDfnumvar, places)
FNROU N D(numvar; places)
with DEF FNROUND(x,y) = F\X(x/y + .5)*y
SIGN(numvar)
SGN(numvar)
UNIFORM(numvar)
RND
with RANDOMIZE(numvar)
Note: A BASIC statement following the word
"with" is executed one time during program
initialization.
Table 1: Because SAS and BASIC functions are similar; translating between the two
languages is simple, as these
examples illustrate.
and allows a programmer to trap
errors, handle them, and resume
program execution. Thus, a SAS syn-
tax preprocessor can rely heavily on
the error-trapping capability of the
interpreter, greatly simplifying its
design.
In addition, this version of BASIC
allows the dynamic loading of ma-
chine-code programs and permits
calling them as subroutines. Thus,
many operations, such as sorting or
inverting a matrix, which suffer from
the interpreter's slowness, can be
compiled into machine-code subrou-
tines that are loaded and called as
needed by the preprocessed SAS pro-
gram—from an interpretive BASIC
environment.
File Structure and Treatment
of Missing Values
Before the processor was designed,
two important system features had to
be carefully specified: the file struc-
ture for system data sets residing on
the microcomputer disk and the rep-
resentation of missing values. Both
greatly affect the code to be generated
by the preprocessor. A question of
compatibility immediately arose—
should the MAS file structure be de-
signed to imitate the SAS data set
structure? And should its missing
value representation be the same?
Careful study of these questions led
to an answer of "no" to both.
SAS system files will never be
transferable between mainframes
and microcomputers using a BASIC
preprocessor approach, because the
two systems use drastically different
methods for internal binary represen-
tation of numbers. Moreover, IBM
mainframes use a coding scheme for
text, EBCDIC (extended binary-
coded-decimal interchange code),
that differs from the one most com-
monly used on microcomputers,
ASCII (American National Standard
Code for Information Interchange).
After direct compatibility was ruled
out, a clean slate remained for file
design. The file design chosen was
arbitrary, and virtually any one
would work, provided it had been
422 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
MEMORIES
&@E8
512KB TO 2 MBEDC
SINGLE BOARD
MULTIBUS MEMORY
• Pin to Pin MULTIBUS compatibility
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OR
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SINGLE QTY. PRICE:
Without/EDC W/EDC
512KB $ 895.00 $1495.00
2MB $5995.00 $6495.00
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DISK SYSTEMS COMPUTERS
2MB FLOPPY
Dual drive, double density, double sided
2MB floppy (8") with controller and
bootstrap. Also reads single sided, single
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42MB, 70MB, 140MB formatted Win-
chester (8") disk system w/controller and
2MB floppy (8") backup w/controller.
CM240-WF: 42MB Winchester $6995.00
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CI-1340-WF: 140MB Winchester $9995.00
10MB WINCHESTER
OR
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2MB floppy single dual controller and
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20MB version add $500.00
CI-11/23AC: LSI 1 1/23CPU, 256KB, 4x8 backplane, power supply and chassis (excluding rack slides)
CI-11/23AF: LSI 11/23 + CPU, 1MB, 4x8 backplane, power supply and chassis (excluding rack slides)
"OFFERING QUALITY WITH AFFORDABLE PRICING"
Chrislin Industries, Inc.
31 352 Via Colinas • Westlake Village, CA 91362
Telephone: 21 3-991 -2254 • TWX 91 0-494-1 253 CHRISLIN WKVG
$2675.00
$4125.00
Multibus is a Trademark of Intel Corporation. QBUS, LSI,
jital Equipment Corporation.
Circle 60 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 423
Circle 206 on inquiry card.
for 8080, Z80
A RunTime Library
forWhitesmiths'C2.1
i Fast execution
iROMable
i No royalties
i Fully reentrant
machine support
i CP/M file support
i Error checking
i Usable with ourAMX
Multitasking Executive
Benchmarks
lint to ASCII conv.
= 1 si i
5 f ° «
2. Long to ASCII conv.
3. Long random number L
generator
i
4. Double 20x20 matrix E
■
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1
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multiply i
5. File copy (16kb) LI
ll
2 3
1
4
■ with Real-Time C
D without
4 Mhz Z80, 8" SD diskette. Times may vary with processor, disks, etc.
Real-Time C
manual only
source code
$ 95
$ 25
$950
Intel mnemonic $ 50
toA-Natural converter
AMX and Real-Time C are trademarks of KADAK Products Ltd.
A-Natural is TM of Whitesmiths Ltd. CP/M isTM t Digital Research Corp.
Z80isTMolZilogCor*.
KADAK Products Ltd.
206-1847 W. Broadway Avenue
Vancouver; B.C., Canada V6J 1Y5
Telephone: (604) 734-2796
Telex: 04-55670
IF
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Card No. ».
Mastercard ^
Inier Bank No. ^
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dale ►
required
Signature X_
Orders cannot be processed without a signature
consistently implemented in the data
step and all proc steps, which call on
a SAS procedure to perform a par-
ticular task on specified variables in
a SAS data set. Because microcom-
puter files cannot easily span multi-
ple disks, the disk was regarded as
part of a microcomputer's, similar to
the operating-system data set on a
mainframe. One disk would corre-
spond to one MAS database.
In the interest of simplicity, only
one-part data-set names were imple-
mented; responsibility for disk man-
agement was left to the user. Each
named MAS data set generates two
microcomputer disk files, which are
also identified by their MAS data-set
name. One file has the suffix .HDR
(for header) and contains file-header
information such as filenames and
variable names, types, lengths, and
labels. The other file has the suffix
.DAT (for data) and holds the data-
set data.
I performed timing tests to deter-
mine whether numeric data should
be represented in binary or ASCII
form. Although Microsoft BASIC
permits both types, the ASCII form
is much simpler to program. The
tests showed that the binary form
was worth the extra effort, however,
because it permits files, especially
those with noninteger numbers, to be
read in half the time that the ASCII
form does. The .DAT files therefore
store numeric variables in internal
binary form and character strings in
ASCII representation. Block size is
determined by the disk-sector size of
the microcomputer used.
Missing values also presented com-
plex choices. In the SAS package for
use on mainframes, missing values
behave in comparisons as though
they had a value of negative infinity,
and if they are used on the right-
hand side of a numeric expression,
they propagate to the left-hand side.
Furthermore, if an illegal mathemat-
ical operation is performed, a miss-
ing value is also assigned to the left-
hand side. In a microcomputer emu-
lation, therefore, the method of
representing missing values chosen
should be easily recognized and also
have these properties. I decided to
use the 8-byte binary representation
424 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
The Micromint
Collection
Micromint. Supporting the varied projects that appear in Steve Ciarcia's monthly
article in BYTE magazine, ''Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar" Off ering a wide range of
computers and peripherals supporting the needs of the hobbyist as well as
worldwide corporate clients.
flPX-16 MICROCOMPUTER
BM PC COMPATIBLE
"he MPX-16 is Steve Ciarcia's most ambitious project
d date. The computer runs all application software
Kitten for the IBM PC and is IBM PC bus compatible.
;an be used with video monitor & IBM keyboard with
iptional adapter.
Juy the MPX-16 in the form that best meets your
mdget. As a bare board, as a wave-soldered board
fiat contains all components less the IC is, as an
ssembled and tested circuit board or as a complete
ystem.
Is featured on the cover of "BYTE" magazine. Also
sabred in "Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar" November,
Jecember1982 & January 1983.
* Runs all application programs written for the IBM
PC (simply boot upthe system and slip in a disk
formatted for the IBM PC).
» IBM PC bus compatible + 9 expansion slots.
► Intel 8088 16-bit microprocessor,
t Optional Intel 8087 math coprocessor,
i 256K bytes on-board memory.
* Up to one megabyte of system memory.
t Up to 64K bytes of system ROM/EPROM.
* Two RS-232C serial I/O ports.
• Three parallel I/O ports.
• Disk controller for 5W or 8" drives.
• Sixteen levels of vectored interrupts.
MPX-16 Microcomputer circuit board assembled
W/64K RAM, CP/M-86 or PC-DOS BIOS $1,200.
riPX-1 6 as above with 256K RAM 1 ,395.
JIPX-16 Semi-Kit (wave soldered circuit
board w/all components) less IC's 595.
Complete kit of IC's W/256K RAM 595.
MPX-16 Unpopulated (bare) pc board . 300.
DP/M-86 Operating System 80.
MPX-16 Switching Power Supply Including
cable harness for 2 disk drives 300.
MPX-16 Technical Reference Manual 50.
MPX-16 Metal Enclosure with cutouts for
two 5%" full height drives 300.
'andon TM 100-2 double density drive 300.
BM PC Keyboard Interface Adapter 100.
Serial terminal cable 35.
J arallei printer cable 35.
Shipping and handling additional on MPX-16 orders.
8 BASIC SYSTEM
I0NTR0LLER NEW!!!
^places 28 Basic Computer/Controller
As featured in Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar,
BYTE magazine, Juty & August 1981.
• Uses Zilog Z8671 singfe chip microcomputer.
• On board tiny BASIC interpreter.
• 2 parallel ports plus serial I/O port.
• Just connect a CRT terminal and write control pro-
grams in BASIC.
• 2K bytes of RAM, up to 4K bytes of ROM.
• Baud rates 110-9600 BPS.
• Data and address buses available f or124K memory
and 1/0 expansion.
• Consumes only 1.5 watts at +5, +12& -12.
• Cross Assemblers for various computers.
BCC11 Assembled & Tested S149.
New Low Price
3M PC is a trademark of International Business Machines. Inc.
P/M86 is a trademark of Digital Research Inc.
1S-D0S is a trademark of Microsoft Inc.
8 13 a trademark of Zllog Inc.
Z8 MEMORY, I/O EXPANSION, Z8 CROSS ASSEMBLERS
CASSETTE INTERFACE
• Add up to 8K of memory plus 3 parallel ports.
• Cassette Interface— 300 baud K.C. Standard.
BCC03 w/4K Assembled & Tested $149.
Z8 ANALOG TO DIGITAL
CONVERTER NEW!!!
• Uses Analog Devices 7581 8 channel 8 bit IC.
• Adds Process Control capability to the Z8.
• 1000 samples per second.
BCC13 Assembled & Tested S14D.
Z8 EPROM PROGRAMMER
• Transfer BASIC or Assembly Language application
programs from RAM to 2716 or 2732 EPROM.
• Requires Z8 Expansion Board for operation.
BCC07 Assembled & Tested $145.
Z8 SERIAL EXPANSION BOARD
• Adds additional RS 232C and opto-isolated 20 ma
current loop serial port to the Z8.
• Runs at 75 to 19,200 baud in all protocols.
BCC0B Assembled & Tested $160.
Z816K MEMORY EXPANSION
BOARD NEW!!!
• Add 16K of additional memory, RAM or EPROM, to
your Z8 System Controller in any multiple.
• Uses 2016, 6116, 2716 or 2732 memory types.
BCC14 w/8K Assembled & Tested $120.
Z8 FIVE SLOT MOTHER BOARD
From Allen Ashley
TRS-80 Model I or III
CP/M 2.2 8" or Northstar 5V4"
From' Micro Resources
CP/M 2.2 8"orAPPLE5V4" 75.
$75.
150.
SPEECH SYNTHESIZERS
MICROVOX TEXT-TO-SPEECH
SYNTHESIZER
MB02 Assembled & Tested $69.
As featured in Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar
BYTE Magazine September, October 1982.
Microvox is a second generation professional voice
quality text-to-speech synthesizer that is easily inter-
faced to any computer, modem, RS-232C serial
or parallel output device and provides speech of
unbelievable clarity.
• Unlimited vocabulary.
• 64 programmable inflection levels.
• 6K text-to-speech algorithm.
• Full ASCII character set recognition and echo.
• RS232C and parallel output.
• 1000 character buffer, 3000 optional.
• Adjustable baud rates (75-9600).
• Spelling output mode.
• 7 octave music and sound effects.
• On board audio amplifier & power supply.
• X-On/X-Off handshaking.
MV01 Assembled with 1K buffer $299.
MV02 Complete Kit with 1K buffer 219.
Add $15.00 for 3K buffer option.
SWEET-TALKER VOICE
SYNTHESIZER
As featured in Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar
BYTE Magazine, September 1981
The Sweet-Talker Voice Synthesizer allows you to add
speech of unlimited vocabulary to your Apple II or any
computer with a parallel printer port at very low cost.
• Utilizes Votrax SC-01A speech synthesizer.
• Unlimited vocabulary.
• Text-to-Speech Algorithm on disk for Apple II.
• Contains 64 phonemes accessed by 6-bit code.
• Four levels of programmable inflection.
• On board audio amplifier & volume control.
ST02 Apple II plug-in, Assembled & Tested
with Text-to-Speech Algorithm on 3.3 disk . $99.
NEW LOW PRICE!!!
ST01 Parallel Port Version, Assembled 99.
NewLow Price
VOTRAX SC-OIA PHONETIC
SPEECH SYNTHESIZER
The SC-01A Speech Synthesizer is a completely self-
contained solid state device that phonetically synthes-
izes continuous speech of unlimited vocabulary. Used
in Microvox and Sweet-Talker.
SC01A Quantity 1-99 $44. ea.
100+ 32. ea.
1000 + 24. ea.
E-Z COLOR GRAPHICS
INTERFACE
As featured in Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar
BYTE Magazine, August 1982
Add color graphics, animation & 3-D effects to your
S-100, TRS-80 Model I and III & Apple II at low cost
The Super Editor software package includes a pattern
editor, sprite editor, slide show, and demo scenes all
in BASIC. Can be used with Color Monitor or TV set
and rf modulator.
• Resolution— 256X192 Pixels.
• 16 colors including Black & Transparent.
• 16K Bytes on board I/O mapped video memory.
• Advanced Tl TMS9918A Color Video Processor.
• 32 SPRITES facilitates 3-D effect.
• Composite Video output.
• Krell & Terrapin have LOGO software packages to
support the E-Z Color Boards.
Apple II E-Z Color plug-in board
with Super Editor on 3.3 disk.
EZ01 Assembled & Tested $119.
EZ02 Complete Kit 105.
NEW!! S-100 E-Z Color Graphics board with sound
generator, Atari type joy stick interface, plus MBasic
CP/M Super Editor Software on 8" disk.
EZ04 Assembled & Tested S289.
TRS-80 Model I or Model I II E-Z Color w/ Super Edi-
tor software, power supply and enclosure.
Assembled & Tested $249.
Complete Kit 219.
300 BAUD ANSWER/ ORIGINATE
MODEM KIT NEW!!!
As featured in Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar
BYTE Magazine, March 1983
The newest item to Micromint's growing list of
products is this 300 Baud Modem. It is crystal
controlled, uses the Tl IMS 99532 IC, contains just
25 parts and can be used with an acoustic coupler or
in a direct connect mode.
MD04 Complete Kit $60.
MD05 Transformer for Direct Connect Mode 9.
AC01 Acoustic Coupler Kit $20.
TRIPLE VOLTAGE
POWER SUPPLIES
+ 5v @ 300 ma. + / - 12v @ 25 ma.
UPSQ1 Assembled & Tested $35.
UPS02 Complete Kit 27.
+ 5v @ 1 Amp. + 12v @ .5 Amp. - 12v @ 50 ma.
UPS03 Assembled & Tested 60.
UPS04 Complete Kit 50.
MICROMINT INC. 561 Willow Avenue,
Cedarhurst, NY 11516
To Order: Call Toll Free 1-800-645-3479
For Information Call: 1-516-374-6793
Call: Monday-Friday, 9-5 PM
Circle 247 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 425
of negative infinity for the MAS miss-
ing value, with the least significant
byte replaced by the ASCII represen-
tation of the " . " character. This
value is easily recognized and propa-
gates as the SAS missing value does
in comparisons. The preprocessor
adds appropriate code in front of all
assignment statements to check for
missing values and propagate them
as necessary.
Program Line-Parsing Techniques
The preprocessor program for han-
dling SAS syntax reads the file con-
taining the user's SAS-like source
code, translating it into BASIC source
code on a line-by-line basis. The
ASCII BASIC code is written to sev-
eral files, with one program file for
each SAS step. Each of these program
files has a chain instruction as its last
executable step, so that the next pro-
gram is executed in turn. The chain
is started by the preprocessor, whose
last executable instruction is a chain
instruction that executes the first
BASIC program. Shared variables are
flU-STAT
n POW€RFUl N€W S€T OF STATISTICS PROGRAMS
FOR CP/M 80 • RLL FORMATS
Compare B-STRT's features:
• Data base up to 1 92 variables • Unlimited number of cases
• Computations in double precision • Analyze up to 65 variables
• Storage of data on disk • Data transformations
• Full editing and update • Any subset of data selectable
• Print-out raw data • Raw or intermediate data entry
• Data skipping flag feature • Totally menu driven
• Minimum 64K • AH MGASIC code (modifiable)
• One or multiple drives • Data coded 1 .0 permitted
• Compatible with other data bases • Operational with hard disk
B-STRT is a set of seven program modules sold separately or as a package:
Stepwise Multiple Regression - For up to 61 variables (straight regression up to 65 variables). Raw data,
correlations, or vaiiance-covariance entry. Each step output (addition or deletion) includes: regression coefficients,
regression and residuals tables, multiple correlation coef ., std. error, F-ratio, etc. Also means, standard deviations
and intercorrelations. Printed listings of residuals for each observation $1 20
Factor Analysis - Principal components, VRRIMRX and oblique simple sbuctures, for up to 45 variables and factors.
Also orthogonal-powered vector and weighted cross-factor simple structure methods. Raw data or correlation
entry. Three estimates of communalities: units, absolute maximum row, and squared multiple correlations.
Iterations $95
Discriminant Function - For up to 58 variables. Discriminant Function coefficients, F-ratio, cutoff point and z-score
cutoff points. Discriminant function data base totally compatible with Stepwise Multiple Regression and Factor
Analysis (and vice versa) $70
Analysis oF Variance- For up to 1 main effects and 1 levels, with equal cell frequencies. Cell means and stan-
dard deviations printed ouL All two-way interactions evaluated. Output includes: degrees of freedom, mean
square and F-ratio for all main and interaction effects $85
Analysis of Co variance- For up to 5 main effects with as many as 1 levels and to 20 covariates. Complex least
squares method. Appropriate for equal or unequal cell frequencies. All cell means and standard deviations printed.
Tables include: source, degrees of freedom, mean square, F-ratio for main and interaction effects. All two-way
interactions evaluated $105
Analysis of Variance ( 111 + B)- Repeated measures design. Rny combination of between and/or within subjects
(cases) independent variables for a total of five factors. All interactions evaluated (up to five- way). Cqual or
unequal groups. Rerun feature permits output with modifications. From up to 1 ,000 to over 50,000 cases permitted
(depending on the design) $115
Matrix Manipulation - Outputs the addition, subtraction, multiplication, inversion, and transpose of matrices of
up to 40 rows by 40 columns. All menu driven. Also provides for the solution of a system of equations of up to an
order of 40. Outputs to screen and/or printer $45
RNV SIX PROGRAM MODUL€S $245 For Purchases and Literature
RLL S€V€N PROGRRM MODULCS $295 n L H B€LRNG€R
For Technical Support I !■ R€S€RRCH RSSOCIRT€S
Robert R. Belanger, Ph.D. I # 1 541 W. 6TH ST.
(21 3) 969-41 1 2 lL~A RZUSR, Cfl 91 702
CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research, Inc.
MBRSIC is a product of Microsoft Corp.
communicated with Microsoft
BASICS COMMON statement.
The proc steps were fairly easy to
implement. For each proc, a core pro-
cedure that actually performs the
work was written in BASIC, using or-
dinary statistical and computing al-
gorithms. For each proc step en-
countered, the preprocessor writes
code that stores variable names and
other needed information in standard
places, copies this code onto the
BASIC source file, copies the core
procedure onto the BASIC source file,
and adds closing and chaining code
to the end of the BASIC source file.
The resulting BASIC program will
then behave as if it were the appro-
priate SAS procedure with its sup-
plied procedure information state-
ments.
Implementing the data step, how-
ever, proved more difficult. Pseudo-
code is an arbitrary code, indepen-
dent of system hardware, which must
be translated into computer code. A
SAS data step must have the ability
to do the following: perform non-
executable statements; initialize
variables; open MAS files named in
DA3A statements for output; open
files named in INFILE, SET, or
MERGE statements for input;
WHILE (observations, or obs, left on
any input file and obs limit not ex-
ceeded); initialize user variables not
in RETAIN to missing; perform exe-
cutable statements; WEND; close
files; chain to next BASIC program.
The preprocessor's job is to read
the user's SAS-like code for the data
step and generate a BASIC program
in the pseudocode format. BASIC
has another feature that eases the
translation task: its program state-
ments can be written in ASCII to a
file in any order, but when loading
or chaining the program, it places the
statements in ascending order. As a
result, the preprocessor need not
save the code for forward references
and write it out to the program file
at the proper time. Instead, it can
write code to the file as it must be
generated. If, for example, the pre-
processor is generating linear BASIC
code at line 10000 inside a loop, and
it needs to generate a subroutine out-
side the loop in the line-20000 range,
426 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 38 on inquiry card.
FOR CP/M. TOP QUALITY BOTTOM PRICE.
Nevada makes it easy and economical to get the software you want and need. Need a better BASIC? We've got it. Is BASIC
not solving your business or engineering problems? Nevada COBOL or FORTRAN will. The media praises Nevada, and
it's priced right: just $39;95-about 1/10 what comparable quality costs. For about half the price of one competitive pack-
age, you can own the entire Nevada Software library! So don't wait; order one or two or all of our bargains-today.
Finally, a better BASIC. This straight-
forward language lets beginners write
useful programs without limiting them to
simple programs. New Nevada BASIC'S
interpreter has Prof. Starkweather's great
built-in full-screen text editor. You can define
single- and multi-line functions. Plus there are
full-matrix operations, Random Access and Sequen-
tial files, program execution with a simple command,
BCD Math-no round-off errors. With Nevada BASIC, micros can
run like minis costing thousands more.
Whether you do business computing or
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standards, Nevada COBOL offers many
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COBOL Application Package-Book I.
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"If you want to
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one FORTRAN,
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Perfect for training, testing, virtually all
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It's the ideal companion language for BASIC,
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^° PILOT-73 standards and has many new features includ-
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a*
the manual comes with 10
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MICROCOMPUTING
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1983, and you'll
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dp*
^pT March/ April 1983. For
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e>° N is the perfect FORTRAN. Based on
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constructs, COPY statement, CHAINing with
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FORTRAN and Assembly Language statements for
special micro needs. Requires 48K RAM. If you're
shopping for FORTRAN, look no further.
GD
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tfJJF' COMPUTING, May 1983.
$> Now, high-quality text editing
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full-screen display editor, Nevada
EDIT is great for program editing as it's specifically
designed to create COBOL, BASIC, and FORTRAN
programs. Simple to-configure, you
customize tab stops, default file
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CRT by menu selection.
Nevada EDIT may pay
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any software /-Ot^
purchase v\
you've V^
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Money
back guaran-
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v ^ or return the pack-
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with the sealed diskette(s)
unopened-within 30 days, and
we'll gladly refund your money.
CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc. TRS-80 is a regis-
tered trademark of Tandy Corp. Apple II is a trademark of Apple Computer,
Inc. Osborne is a registered trademark of Osborne Computer Corp. Xerox
820 is a trademark of Xerox Corp. Kaypro is a trademark of Non-linear Sys.
Heath/Zenilh is a trademark ot Heath Corp. IBM is a trademark of Interna-
tional Business Machines. Corp. Nevada BASIC, Nevada COBOL. Nevada
FORTRAN, Nevada PILOT Nevada EDIT and Ellis Computing are trade-
marks of Ellis Computing, Inc. & 1983 Ellis Computing, Inc.
Send to
ELLIS COMPUTING, INC.
3917 Noriega Street
San Francisco, CA 94122 Phone 415/753-0186
Send my order for _
_ packages Cd $39.95 each Total .
Please send me: Software Packages
D BASIC □ COBOL □ FORTRAN □ PILOT □ EDIT
Disk Format
D 8" SSSD (Standard CP/M IBM 3740)
5 1 /4" Diskette for:
□ Access
□ Apple CP/M
□ DEC VT 180
□ Epson QX-10
□ Heath Hard Sector (Z-89)
□ Heath Soft Sector (Z-90)
□ IBM-PC (Baby blue or big blue card)
□ Kaypro Double Density
D Micropolis Mod II (Vector Graphic)
D NEC PC 8001
D Northstar Double Density
D Northstar Single Density
□ Osborne (Single Density Disk)
□ Sanyo
D Superbrain DD, DOS 3.X (512 byte sec)
CI Televideo
D TRS-80 Model I (Relocated to 4200 hex)
□ Xerox 820 (Single Density)
COBOL Application package (ff $9.95 each Total .
Sales Tax .
Shipping .
TOTAL .
California residents add 61/2% Sales Tax.
Outside North America, add $6 per package for shipping.
(Postage paid within North America.) Checks must be
in U.S. dollars and drawn on a U.S. bank.
□ Check enclosed □ Mastercard □ VISA
Card#_
. Exp. Date.
Signature
Ship to: Name_
Street
City/State/Zip _
The CP/M operating system, an 8080, 8085. or Z-80 microprocessor, and 32K RAM
are required. Note: Double Density drives can read Single Density diskettes.
Circle 153 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 427
DATA EXCHANGE/64K
SPOOLER
The ADS-8212 DATA EXCHANGE/64K is a computer independent
interface converter and print spooler. It can be installed between
virtually any computer and any peripheral.
Data can be input in either serial or parallel, stored in its 64K
bytes of RAM, and output serial or parallel. Serial ports-support baud
rates from 50 to 19 200 and both hardware and software hand-
shaking. The input and output ports are completely independent;
input data with one protocol and baud rate and output it with a
different protocol and baud rate. Selections are dip switch
selectable.
A unique feature is its ability to make unlimited numbers of
copies. Hitting the copy button will send another copy to the
printer. When done making copies, hit the reset button to clear the
memory.
Included with the DATA EXCHANGE/64K are two 4 foot
output cables, one parallel cable with standard
Centronics type connector and one serial
cable with standard DB 25 connector.
Standard plugs are supplied for
input ports.
Suggested list price: $339.00
Dealer inquiries welcome.
RS-232 HANDSHAKING:
RDY/BSY (DTR)
Xon/Xoff
ETX/ACK
INPUT DATA EXCHANGE/64K OUTPUT
RS-232
><
64K BUFFER
RS-232
50 TO 19.2K BAUD
50 TO 19.2K BAUD
PARALLEL
PARALLEL
Available at your local dealer or contact:
rrri antex data systems
\ m \ * ^ J A Division of International Antex Inc.
Ubh 2630 California Street
Mountain View, California 94040 ■ Phone: (415) 941-7914
Telex: 704 969 INTERAX UD
it can do so. The code written to the
program file will be line-10000 code,
followed by the line-20000 range sub-
routine, followed by the rest of the
line-10000-range code. The BASIC in-
terpreter can thus dynamically alter
the line numbers, then put them into
their proper order when the program
file is loaded.
Let's look carefully at each line of
the pseudocode outline:
1. Perform most nonexecutable state-
ments. While most SAS code used
in the DATA step is executable
code performed once for each ob-
servation in the output data set,
this is not true of all SAS state-
ments. DROP, KEEP, and RE-
NAME affect the code that con-
trols what variables and variable
names will be stored on the out-
put file, but do not affect each
observation. The LABEL state-
ment, for example, generates code
that writes labels for the variables
to the .HDR file for the data set but
has no effect on the observations.
No matter where these statements
appear in the SAS data step, they
generate code that acts once per
DATA step rather than once per
observation.
2. Initialize variables. Many count-
ing and control variables, such as
_N_, _ERROR_, and input line
counters must be initialized before
the observations loop.
3. Open MAS files named in DATA
step for output. For every data set
named in the DATA statement, the
.HDR and .DAT files must be
created and opened; then the data
set name, label, time, and date of
creation can be written to the
.HDR file.
4. Open files named in INFILE, SET,
or MERGE statements for input. For
"raw input" files named in INFILE
statements (which specify the in-
put used to create a SAS data set),
a sequential open is performed.
For MAS data sets named in
SET or MERGE statements, the
.HDR file is opened to gain in-
formation about the data set, then
the .HDR file is closed and the
.DAT file is opened to permit direct
input.
428 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 28 on inquiry card.
ANNOUNCING
THE INSIDE STORY ON
DATA SPEC CABLES.
Take a look at the picture
above. The shielding under
the RS232 connector hood
of DATA SPEC 1M cables is
different from anything
you've seen before. No
flimsy foil. Or painted hood.
Instead, DATA SPEC™ gives
you an extra heavy gauge
shield underthe normal
hood which ensuresthatthe
cables exceeds the FCC
requirements on emission
standards.
Andjfyoulookfurther
inside, underthe shield,
you'll see the advent of PDT ,M *
Technology. DATA SPEC™
cables are the f irstto em ploy
this technique outside of
aerospace applications.
PDT Technology ensu res
that you will never have to
solder a broken joint or even
open the hood.
However, the biggest
news is actually the littlest
part of the story The price.
You can find out about it at
your dealer who carries
DATA SPEC™ products.
Modern manufacturing
techniques have made
DATA SPEC™ cables priced
lower than lesser quality
shielded cables.
DATA SPEC™ cables.
There's more to it than
meets the eye.
*PDT (Poly-vinyl doping technique) involves the
injection of poly-vinyl under the shield to fuse the
conductors and pinstogether. thus ensuring reliability
under the mostadverse conditions. PDT is a regis-
tered trademarkof Advanced Tool Technology Inc.
DBCafOra
TM
THE FAMILY OF HIGH INTEGRITY COMPUTER SUPPORT PRODUCTS.
18215 Parthenia Street, Northridge, 91326 CA [213] 701-5848 circle 357 on inquiry card.
5. WHILE (obs left on any input file
and obs limit not exceeded). This
WHILE. . WEND loop does the
real work of the DATA step. Until
all of the input observations have
been read, or until the user-set
observation limit is reached, all
statements within the loop are ex-
ecuted once per observation.
6. Initialize user variables not in the
RETAIN statement to missing. At the
beginning of each observation
loop, all user variables are nor-
mally set to missing unless they
have been named in the RETAIN
statement. If they have been
named in a RETAIN statement,
they retain their values from the
previous observation.
7. Perform executable statements.
Here is where most of the work of
the DATA step is performed. Each
statement that affects the value of
user variables (such as assignment
or sum statements) or the way the
observation is handled (such as
subsetting IF, DELETE, LIST,
IF. . THEN. . .ELSE, or DO. . .
WHILE. . .END) is translated in-
to a BASIC statement or a subrou-
tine. Standard subroutines are set
up for such things as DELETE,
LIST, and subsetting IF. Assign-
ment statements are left almost
unchanged, except for preceding
each one with a trap for missing
values so they will be correctly
propagated. In the absence of ex-
plicit OUTPUT statements, an im-
plicit output statement is placed at
the end of the observations loop.
It puts the current observation in
all the output data sets named in
the DATA statement.
8. Close files. All the open files are
closed, and the observation count
and appropriate statistics are writ-
ten to the log file.
9. Chain to the next BASIC program.
After completion of the DATA step,
all control variables are saved in a
COMMON area and the next
BASIC program, which may cor-
respond to a DATA or proc step, is
executed.
Listing 1 shows a simple program
written in SAS syntax and the print-
out that resulted when this program
was run.
430 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Listing 1: A simple SAS program run on an IBM Personal Computer (PC) and the resulting
printout.
The Source Code^
data testruns(label=test runs for 5 numeric variables);
input nobs compile data print means;
cards;
1
1.30
.03
. 05
. 15
5 1
1 .30
. 10
.OS
. "22
10
1. 30
. 17
. 13
.28
20
1. 30
.32
.23
.42
50
1.30
.79
.49
.36
ioo :
1.32
1.57
.93 :
1.57
500
1.40
7.76
4.50 7.31
10O0 1.49 15.51 3.97 14.43
AVGDATA=DAT A/NOBS;
AVGPRINT=PRINT/NOBS;
AVGMEANS=MEANS/N0BS5
PROC PRINT DATA=TESTRUNS;
TITLE EXAMPLE MAS PROGRAM RUN TIMES IN MINUTES;
TITLE2 TIMES ARE FOR COMPILE, DATA STEP, PROC PRINT AND PROC MEANS;
TITLE3 EXAMPLE WAS DATA STEP WITH CARDS, THEN PROC PRINT, PROC MEANS;
TITLE4 DATASET HAD 5 NUMERIC VARIABLES STORED IN DOUBLE PRECISION;
TITLE5 + + + + ++++ ;
TITLE6 LISTING OF TIMES FOR VARIOUS QUANTITIES OF INPUT OBSERVATIONS;
VAR NOBS COMPILE DATA PRINT MEANS;
PROC PRINT DATA=TESTRUNS;
TITLE 6 LISTING OF COMPUTED 'PER OBSERVATION' TIMES;
VAR NOBS AVGDATA AVGPRINT AVGMEANS;
PROC MEANS DATA=TESTRUNS MAXDEC=2 N MEAN STD ;
TITLE6 AVERAGES OF 'PER OBSERVATION' TIMES;
VAR AVGDATA AVGPRINT AVGMEANS;
The Resulting Printout.
1 MICROCOMPUTER ANALYSIS SYSTEM 01-10-1933 20:
NOTE: THE JOB TESTRUNS.MAS HAS BEEN RUN UNDER RELEASE 32.7 OF MAS.
1
12
13
14
NOTE ;
NOTE :
15
16
17
13
19
20
21
DATA TESTRUNS(LABEL=TEST RUNS FOR 5 NUMERIC VARIABLES);
input nobs compile data print means;
cards;
avgdata=data/nobs ;
avgpr i nt = pri nt/nobs;
a vgmeans=me ans /nobs ;
data set testruns has 3 observations and 3 variables. 64 obs/trk.
THE DATA STATEMENT USED .2 MINUTES AND 20K .
PROC PRINT DATA=TESTRUNS;
TITLE EXAMPLE MAS PROGRAM RUN TIMES IN MINUTES;
TITLE2 TIMES ARE FOR COMPILE, DATA STEP, PROC PRINT AND PROC MEANS;
TITLE3 EXAMPLE WAS DATA STEP WITH CARDS, THEN PROC PRINT, PROC MEANS?
TITLE4 DATASET HAD 5 NUMERIC VARIAELES STORED IN DOUBLE PRECISION;
TITLE5 + + + + + + + + ;
TITLE6 LISTING OF TIMES FOR VARIOUS QUANTITIES OF INPUT OBSERVATIONS;
VAR NOBS COMPILE DATA PRINT MEANS;
NOTE: THE PROCEDURE PRINT USED .13 MINUTES AND 22K AND PRINTED PAGE 1.
23 PROC PRINT DATA=TESTRUNS ;
24 TITLE6 LISTING OF COMPUTED 'PER OBSERVATION' TIMES;
25 VAR NOBS AVGDATA AVGPRINT AVGMEANS;
NOTE: THE PROCEDURE PRINT USED .15 MINUTES AND 21K AND PRINTED PAGE 2.
26 PROC MEANS DATA=TESTRUNS MAXDEC=2 N MEAN STD;
27 TITLE6 AVERAGES OF 'PER OBSERVATION' TIMES;
VAR AVGDATA AVGPRINT AVGMEANS;
: THE PROCEDURE MEANS USED .17 MINUTES AND 25K AND PRINTED PAGE 3.
: MAS USED 1.17 MINUTES AND 25K.
23
NOTE
NOTE
NOTE
: BASS CYBERNETIC LABS
RT. 1, BOX 124-B
PITTSBORO, NC 27312
EXAMPLE MAS PROGRAM RUN TIMES IN MINUTES 01-10-1933 20:23
TIMES ARE FOR COMPILE, DATA STEP, PROC PRINT AND PROC MEANS
EXAMPLE WAS DATA STEP WITH CARDS, THEN PROC PRINT, PROC MEANS
DATASET HAD 5 NUMERIC VARIABLES STORED IN DOUBLE PRECISION
OF TIMES
Ft
:>r VARIOUS
QUANTITIES
OF INPUT OBSEI
NOP.S
COMPILE
DATA
PRINT
MEANS
i 1
1.3
.03
.05
. 15
2 5
1. 3
. 1
.03
. 22
3 10
1.3
. 17
. 13
.23
4 20
1. 3
.32
. 23
.42
Listing 1 continued on page 432
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BYTE January 1984 431
Listing 1 continued:
5
50
1.3
.79
. 49
.86
6
100
1. 32
1.57
.93
1.57
"7
500
1.4
7.76
A. 5
7.31
8
1000
1. 49
15.51
8.97
14. 4B
^^^^-ww^-v-v^W^
-V -v -v -V IV "V >w<v*
v«v-w«w<vv<v
-V-V -V -V- -V -V-V -vvvV-N
^vww<v
EXAMPLE MAS PROGRAM RUN TIMES IN MINUTES 01-10-1983
TIMES ARE FOR COMPILE, DATA STEP, PROC PRINT AND PROC MEANS
EXAMPLE WAS DATA STEP WITH CARDS, THEN PROC PRINT, PROC MEANS
DATASET HAD 5 NUMERIC VARIABLES STORED IN DOUBLE PRECISION
STING OF CO
MPUTED 'PER
OBSERVATI
ON' TIMES
S NOBS
AVGDATA
AVGPRINT
AVGMEANS
1 1
.03
.05
. 15
2 5
02
.016
.044
3 10
017
.013
.028
4 20
016
.0115
.021
5 50
0158
.0098
.0172
6 100
0157
.0093
.0157
7 500
01552
.009
.01462
8 1000
01551
.00897
.01448
EXAMPLE MAS PROGRAM RUN TIMES IN MINUTES 01-10-1983
TIMES ARE FOR COMPILE, DATA STEP, PROC PRINT AND PROC MEANS
EXAMPLE WAS DATA STEP WITH CARDS, THEN PROC PRINT, PROC MEANS
DATASET HAD 5 NUMERIC VARIABLES STORED IN DOUBLE PRECISION
AVERAGES
OF
' PER (
+ -i- ;
>BSERVATI0N 7 TIMES
VARIABLE
N
MEAN STD. DEV.
avgdAta
avgprint
avgmeans
8
8
8
.01819 .005
.01595 .01397
.03813 .04629
One final issue affects the transla-
tion of SAS statements to BASIC
statements. Microsoft BASIC, like
most BASICs, does not allow key-
words to be used as variable names.
Yet rather than restrict SAS variable
names in this fashion, I added an
extra letter to the beginning of all user
variables that would appear in the
BASIC program. Since neither Y nor
Z is the beginning letter of any BASIC
keyword, I used Y as the beginning
letter of all numeric variables and Z
as the first letter of all character vari-
ables. Thus the SAS user variable
ABC becomes YABC in the BASIC
program. The user never sees these
The preprocessor reads
pseudocode for the
data step and
generates a BASIC
program.
names, however, since the BASIC
program is never visible unless it is
deliberately listed. This coding
scheme also allows all the variables
in the BASIC program beginning
with Y to be set to double precision
as well as all variables beginning with
Z to be set to character-string type,
using BASIC'S DEFDBL and DEFSTR
statements.
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But hurry, contest ends January 31,1984. RESEARCH ™
The Digital Research logo and products are either trademarks orregistered
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CW ^outere*^
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432 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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BYTE January 1984 433
What Is SAS?
SAS stands for Statistical-Analysis Sys-
tem, a mainframe data-processing and
statistical language, and series of software
packages. It was developed at North
Carolina State University in the late 1960s
with grants from the National Institutes
of Health and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture for the purpose of providing
an alternative to existing computer lan-
guages for statistical applications. ■
In 1972 the first statistical-analysis sys-
tem made available to the public contained
a data-management language and per-
mitted a user to perform about 25 statistical
procedures. It required users to write a
simple program in a PL/I-like syntax that
can take raw data from cards or tape and
convert it into a standard SAS data set
with a fixed internal form. The statistical
procedures it offered required data in the
form of SAS data sets and produced printed
reports (and optionally, new SAS data sets)
of such operations as linear and nonlinear
regressions. Because the system demands
a standard form for all data (the SAS data
set), it frees the user from specifying data
structures. In addition, the statistical pro-
cedures contained in SAS provide most
commonly needed algorithms, so a SAS
user can concentrate on statistical analysis
rather than on coding algorithms. Listing
2 is a SAS program written in current SAS
syntax.
A Simple Yet Useful Language
The first group of statements make up
a data step. The data step in listing 2
creates a SAS-style data set with four
variables and as many observations as there
are records on the tape. The variables can
be picked off from any position on the
record without the need for any COBOL-
like fillers, and multiple records of any
observation are easily handled. The next
two groups of statements are PROC steps,
which perform specified statistical pro-
cedures on the SAS data set that has been
Listing 2: Written in the syntax of the latest version of SAS, this program can read four
variables from a survey tape, create a SAS data set, calculate the variables' means and stan-
dard deviations, and use them to perform a linear regression.
I* Example program with imaginary data set
/* — demonstrates SAS syntax, not good statistics .
DATA INCOME;
INFILE TAPE1455;
INPUT @15 INCOME
@22 AGE
@27 HEIGHT
@94 WEIGHT
/* SAS comments can be enclosed like this . . .
/* Name of SAS data set to be created
/* Data Definition Name of the Tape
/* Income is at the 15th column of each record on
/* the tape
/* Age in years is at col 22
/* Height in inches is at column 27
/* Weight in pounds is at column 94
PROC MEANS DATA = INCOME MEAN STD
PROC SYSREG DATA = INCOME;
MODEL INCOME = AGE HEIGHT WEIGHT
created. In this example, the data set is a
temporary one, but it could just as easily
be specified as a permanent data set.
The example in listing 2 would have re-
quired hundreds or even thousands of lines
in such other languages as BASIC, FOR-
TRAN, and Pascal. Thus, an advantage
of SAS is that for many statistical and data-
management tasks, it requires less pro-
grammer effort than do other languages.
Yet SAS contains all the elements of a com-
plete programming language (such as
DO... WHILE... END and IF... THEN...
ELSE statements and arrays) and can be
used for complex nonstatistical program-
ming tasks as well as statistical ones.
This useful language rapidly grew
popular; first at universities and later in
the business world. The maintenance of the
package was transferred from the Institute
of Statistics of North Carolina State
University to a private firm, the SAS In-
stitute, in July 1976. Expanded versions
were released in 1976, 1979, and 1982, and
I* Printed report will contain means 7
f and std devs for all the variables 7
I* A simple regression 7
r of income on age, height and */
/* weight 7
all of them retained the concept of a stan-
dard SAS data set and a powerful, problem-
oriented language to manipulate the data
in them. Graphics, time-series, and oper-
ations-research procedures were offered as
optional add-on packages, but all of the
packages required a large IBM 370 main-
frame computer or equivalent machine un-
til 1982, when a new portable SAS was an-
nounced for some of the 32-bit super-mini-
computers, such as Digital Equipment
Corporation's VAX computers. At the time
of this writing, these products were still
in testing stages; however, the SAS In-
stitute maintained that it had no plans for
moving SAS to microcomputers. At a
SAS conference in 1982, a suggestion was
made in a microcomputer users' special-
interest group that it might be possible to
emulate a SAS-like syntax on a microcom-
puter; and that suggestion led to this arti-
cle. The author has no connections with
SAS Institute Inc.
Conclusion
We've examined some of the steps
involved in implementing a SAS
syntax preprocessor for Microsoft
BASIC. Some characteristics of
BASIC made the task easier than
writing a true SAS compiler for a
microcomputer. The main drawback
of this type of solution, however, is
the slow speed of the result. Compil-
ing the resulting BASIC code instead
of interpreting it should be possible,
but since chaining and statement
ordering are handled differently by
the compiler and the interpreter, this
solution has not been tried. It would
be an excellent area for further work
with this preprocessor. The exercise
did show that a substantial portion
of the SAS syntax can be imple-
mented on a microcomputer, how-
ever, and that for small data sets, this
subset can be used effectively. ■
Jeff Bass is a senior analyst at Bass Cybernetic
Labs (Rte. 1, Box 124B, Pittsboro, NC 27312).
434 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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BYTE January 1984 435
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436 BYTE January 1984
Circle 501 for Dealer Inquiries. Circle 502 for End-User Inquiries.
A Software Review Method
That Really Works
The detailed group walk-through approach
involves "playing computer"
Programming errors create major
time and money problems for the
computer industry, not to mention
the frustration felt by the end user.
As a result, an effective method of
eliminating errors is crucial to the
software designer. One successful
method you can use is the group
walk-through. Reviewing software
design and code this way ensures a
low error rate and catches errors often
missed in testing. Other benefits in-
clude improved documentation and
software that is integrated more
smoothly into the system.
The Method
The walk-through review is funda-
mentally a process of "playing com-
puter." The participants emulate what
the computer does with the input
data by actually walking through,
from start to finish, a maximum of
5000 lines of code. With careful defi-
nition of the participants' roles, stan-
dardized written preparation, and
several shortcuts, the walk-through
provides a workable means of cor-
recting programming problems. In
addition, a group review reduces the
risk of individual errors by allowing
for cross-checking between partici-
pants.
by Andrew Citron
Design documents or code are re-
viewed, but in either case the method
remains basically the same. The
design document may be in the form
of PDL (programming design lan-
guage, or structured English), struc-
ture trees, Nasi-Schneiderman dia-
grams, flowcharts, or even HIPO
(hierarchy plus input, process, out-
put) diagrams. Reviewers must be
concerned with both the details and
Group review reduces
the risk of individual
errors by allowing for
cross-checking between
participants.
clarity of the design. Code, on the
other hand, is rarely ambiguous.
Test cases are run throughout the
review; these form a series of inputs
to the software and test the program's
major requirements. All program
statements should be tested at least
once. Usually it is impossible to test
all paths through the code because
that number increases so quickly. By
going through every statement at
least once with all the main require-
ments included, the review partici-
pants test an adequate number of
paths.
The Roles of the Participants
The review participants include the
designer/coder and at least two other
interested and motivated reviewers.
Three seems to be the right number
of people; four works, but the payoff
does not increase proportionally.
Each participant has a specific role.
The designer/coder remains passive
while the other two reviewers are ac-
tive. The designer/coder's role is to be
alert for bugs and errors, answer
questions, take notes on problems
that need correcting, and provide the
documentation and test cases for the
walk-through. He does not "play
computer." The designer is intensely
involved with the program, and it is
this involvement that increases the
likelihood of repeating mistakes.
Therefore, the other two reviewers
are active. They remain impartial and
follow the design exactly, rather than
try to interpret what the designer
meant. One reviewer acts as the cen-
tral processor by reading the next in-
struction to be executed. The other
writes down the variable's values for
the others to see. The designer
watches the two reviewers following
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 437
the design or code blindly and im-
mediately recognizes when some-
thing is wrong.
The Process
The reviewer emulating the central
processor reads the statements one at
a time, marking each one as it is read.
If reviewers use a different color
magic marker for each test case, they
get a feel for the number of paths that
have been tested.
The reviewer tracking storage and
registers notes modified variables in
a visible place. A blackboard, an
overhead projector, or even paper
glued to the walls enables all the re-
viewers to see the current values.
To walk through a test case, you fol-
low the path the machine takes.
When an IF statement is encoun-
tered, the storage and register tracker
checks the variable being tested and
chooses one path. Each case should
be taken independently because a
detailed understanding of the control
flow is necessary to determine if the
software functions properly. When
the program calls a subroutine, you
walk through it also, not bothering
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with external routines.
In the design review, macro inter-
face parameters are specified and
checked. In the code review, you
check the coded parameters against
the design and walk through the ex-
panded macro code. This catches in-
terface errors when existing macros
are called. It also catches coding
errors in new macro code. It's impor-
tant that you pay close attention to
macro parameters and generated
code because interface errors are a
major source of program problems.
When a problem is found in either
the design or code review, you
shouldn't make a:iy attempt to solve
it unless it's trivial. The designer's
role is to note the error and fix it later.
If the problems are many or serious,
you walk through the program again
after fixing it. The addition of many
new conditional statements indicates
serious program problems. After a
number of insertions, changes occur
in paths already reviewed, and you
must plan to review the program
again.
Shortcuts
Once it has been asserted that a
subroutine works, walking through it
again and again is avoided. Making
this assertion applies a technique
used in formal program proving:
given a precondition (the input) and
a process (the program), the post-
condition (the output) is true.
Three conditions must be met to
make such an assertion. First, you
should prepare a detailed input state-
ment. You must state which variables
are input and where they can be
found. Second, a detailed output
specification should be created spell-
ing out any variables the reviewers
modify and the conditions under
which they've changed them, also
stating any side effects such as modi-
fied registers or static control blocks.
Third, you must completely walk
through the routine once. When you
prove a program path works, you
don't need to walk through it again
but must simply verify that the input
conditions have been met to assume
that the output conditions are true.
When the input and output state-
ments are complete and correct and
438 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 355 on inquiry card.
all the reviewers agree that the sub-
routine functions correctly, the re-
viewer in charge of tracking variables
updates the blackboard.
Another shortcut, stacking the ma-
chine state, helps you avoid walking
through the same paths repeatedly.
When you encounter an IF state-
ment, write down the values of the
variables and registers, note the point
where the code diverges, and con-
tinue walking through the current
test case. When you finish that case,
you return to the machine state found
at the IF statement, change the vari-
able, and continue the walk-through.
With practice, you learn to design,
code, and document programs so
that review productivity improves.
Input and output statements are then
specified more fully, designed more
simply, and use fewer variables.
Advantages of Walk-Throughs
The main advantage of walk-
throughs is that reviewers find bugs
earlier. And the sooner you find a
problem, the cheaper it is to fix. The
bugs found in reviews are often those
that slip through testing: timing con-
ditions, reentrancy problems, acci-
dental storage modification. If you
check only the testing output, you
miss the side effects. Don't under-
estimate the value of finding and fix-
ing these problems.
Another advantage is better docu-
mentation. Since the designer does
not lead the walk-through, the two
reviewers need comprehensive docu-
mentation. If documentation is in-
complete, the reviewers know that
something is unclear and needs fix-
ing. You must spell out any design or
code restrictions carefully. Documen-
tation enhancements from reviews
make the code more modifiable and
maintainable.
Shortcomings of Walk-Throughs
While a walk-through doesn't pro-
duce a well-structured design, it
guards against a bad one. If the re-
view uncovers error after error, an ex-
perienced programmer throws the
design out rather than repeatedly
fixing and patching it. The major ob-
jection to walk-throughs, the time re-
quired, is not valid. Actually, a walk-
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through reduces time spent on future
maintenance, testing, and integration.
Despite the completeness of walk-
throughs, some errors still occur. The
code must be tested; fortunately, it
takes less time and effort to correct
errors the second time around.
A Word on Attitude
Attitude makes the review work.
New software has errors, and it's
more constructive to find bugs in a
review and in testing than later in
production or in integration testing.
Late error detection is time consum-
ing and more difficult to correct. The
proper ratio is to find many problems
during the review, fewer in testing,
and none when you integrate the
code into the system. Error-free out-
put from the walk-through is the re-
viewers' responsibility as much as
the designer's.
Summary
Group walk-throughs of code and
design ensure that software meets re-
quirements, performs as intended,
and has proper documentation. Well-
defined reviewer roles, a proper
structure, and a cooperative attitude
produce an extremely effective group
walk-through. ■
Acknowledgments
The author gratefully acknowledges the contribu-
tions made by his colleagues at IBM, especially], C
O'Quin, ]. R. McLean, and S. Eames, who helped
with the content and the style of this article.
References
1 . Schneiderman, B. Software Psychology. Win-
throp, MA: Winthrop Publishers Inc., 1980.
2. Wegner, P. (editor). Research Directions in
Software Technology. Cambridge, MA: MIT
Press, 1979.
3. Weinberg, G. The Psychology of Computer
Programming. New York: Van Nostrand
Reinhold, 1971.
4. Your don, E. Structured Walk-throughs. Engle-
wood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1979,
Andrew Citron (FOB 12195, Research Triangle
Park, NC 27709) has an M.S. in computer systems
from SUNY at Binghamton and a B.A. in psychol-
ogy from Northeastern University. He is currently
with the SNA Architecture Group for the IBM 5520
Administrative System. For the previous five years
he was in operating-system software development
for the 5520. Any walk-through he has participated
in has found lots of problems—whether he was the
designer or a reviewer.
440 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 242 on inquiry card.
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Circle 486 on inquiry card.
BD02315
BYTE January 1984 441
Real-Time Clocks and
PC-DOS 2.0
Understanding the clock/device-driver interface
Almost every multifunction board
sold for the IBM PC includes a clock,
each sold with its own proprietary
software. Recognizing that these real-
time add-on clocks are extremely
popular, IBM and Microsoft made
specific provisions in the PC-DOS
version 2.0 to legitimize the clocks'
existence and handle their functions
in a uniform way. The mechanism for
this is a provision for device drivers—
assembly-language (.COM) programs
that can supplement or replace exist-
ing system software for doing the I/O
(input/output) to a specific logical
device. In this article I will provide a
brief introduction to device drivers
and discuss and demonstrate a char-
acter device-driver program for the
clock chip on a typical multifunction
board. In addition to being a nifty
utility, the program demonstrates
several features of 8088 code and the
macroassembler.
By now, nearly all of us who
bought PC-DOS 2.0 have thumbed
through its accompanying volume at
least once. Of all the additions in-
spired by Unix, perhaps the most im-
portant new feature is its powerful
device-driver capability. Without
using "dirty tricks'' or mucking about
in the system software, you can now
integrate new devices into the oper-
CLOCK.COM requirements:
IBM PC
64K bytes of RAM
one floppy-disk drive
PC-DOS 2.0
Any AST Research Inc. (2372 Morse Ave., Ir-
vine, CA 92714, 714-540-1333) Multifunction
board with National Semiconductor MM58167A
Real-Time Clock chip.
by David K. Broadwell
ating environment quickly and in a
manner compatible with current and,
presumably, future versions of PC-
DOS. Manufacturers of add-on
boards, peripherals, and other hard-
ware can now develop standardized
software to interface their products to
the IBM PC. System integrity is main-
tained no matter how many bells,
whistles, and real-time gadgets are
added.
PC-DOS 2.0 recognizes two types
of devices: character and block.
[Editor's Note: For a detailed discussion
of device drivers and the IBM PC, refer
to "Installable Device Drivers for PC-
DOS 2.0" by Tim Field, November 1983
BYTE, page 188.] As the name implies,
character devices do serial I/O on
characters and include a system's
PRN (printer), AUX (auxiliary), and
CON (console) logical devices. The
newly defined system device
CLOCKS falls into this category.
Block devices, on the other hand, in-
clude hard and floppy disks and do
random I/O in chunks that usually
correspond to a physical sector size
for efficiency.
As an example of device-driver
operations, assume you already have
a device driver that simulates a flop-
py disk in RAM (random-access
read/ write memory). (You can use
the device driver in the DOS 2.0
manual.) When PC-DOS 2.0 is
booted up, it looks for a file named
CONFIG.SYS, which contains infor-
mation on how the system is to be
initialized. Among other things, this
file can contain a number of state-
ments of the form DEVICE = file-
name. If our RAM disk-driver ex-
ample is called VDISK.COM, we put
it into our CONFIG.SYS file for
DEVICE = VDISK.COM. This driver
is loaded and left resident as a per-
manent and transparent part of the
system. Any I/O calls to the virtual
RAM disk are handled through regu-
lar channels, without altering the
8088's interrupt vector table that the
DOS sets up. This is why a virtual-
disk program that worked under
DOS 1.1 bombs out under version
2.0.
The logical device we are replacing
is the system CLOCKS. A device
driver named CLOCK.COM is in-
stalled instead of the system's default
software, and it is loaded by a
DEVICE = CLOCK.COM statement in
CONFIG.SYS-at start-up time. Each
time a call is made to read or set the
date and/or time, CLOCK.COM does
it. This includes the DOS commands
for DATE, TIME, and pertinent DOS
INT (hexadecimal) 21 file-manage-
ment function calls. My clock-driver
program reads and sets the National
Semiconductor MM5816Z\ Real Time
Clock chip on an AST Research Inc.
Combo board, but the general prin-
ciples for any clock driver are repre-
sented as well as what PC-DOS 2.0
requires of a character device.
What PC-DOS 2.0 expects from a
device-driver program and how they
communicate are explained in the
PC-DOS 2.0 manual. As previously
mentioned, the RAM disk example is
a handy block-device driver. Charac-
ter devices, however, are quite dif-
ferent, and the CLOCKS device is
also a rather special subset. Both
devices use drivers structured the
same way, but each is asked to do dif-
ferent functions by the DOS. The sys-
tem creates a structure called a Re-
quest Header and passes its address
442 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 1 on inquiry card.
Static
Header
Variable
Byte (0)
Byte (1)
Byte (2)
Byte (3-4)
Byte (5-12)
Byte (13)
DWORD (14-17)
Word
length in bytes of Request Header (13) plus data block that
follows (if any)
subunit code for block devices
(not used here)
command code, e.g., "READ" = 08
STATUS word (DONE, ERROR CODE, BUSY)
reserved for DOS
media descriptor (block device only— not used)
double-word address of system
buffer for transferring data
number of bytes/sectors transferred— always six for the clock,
so not really used
Figure 1: A Request Header and block format for read/write to system CLOCKS.
pointer to the driver program in the
extra segment (ES) register and
general register (BX). All function re-
quests, data transfers, and status
checks occur through this mecha-
nism. Following the 13-byte Request
Header is an area whose length
depends on what is appropriate for
that particular operation. It might
contain a data buffer address, ini-
tialization data, or specific device
parameters the system needs to
know. The format for a Request
Header and the accompanying data
block for our clock driver are shown
in figure 1.
To continue, we'll first look at the
requirements of an installable driver
and then how it works within the
operating system by referring to list-
ing 1. The general format of IBM's ex-
ample program is followed for easier
comparison between block and char-
acter logic.
Device-Driver Structure
A device driver is a .COM file, but
because it doesn't use a program-seg-
ment prefix when it's run, the code
must start at 0. There is no ORG
hexadecimal 100 statement as in other
.COM files.
The special device header appears
after all the MACROS, STRUC-
TURES, and EQUATES are defined.
It is the logical beginnig of the pro-
gram and identifies the device's attri-
butes (which are set here for charac-
ter type and current clock device), its
name, and pointers to crucial parts of
the program. The first double word
is set to -1 unless more than one
driver is in that particular .COM file.
Device Strategy (page 447) is an
area of the program that saves a
pointer passed to it in ES:BX. This is
the address of the Request Header
that PC-DOS 2.0 uses to pass data
back and forth to the driver. A driver
is called at this entry point to
prioritize the system's request.
Device Interrupt Handler (page
448) is an area of the program called
(with no parameters) directly after
Device Strategy concludes. It
retrieves the Request Header ad-
dress, saves the registers, and ser-
vices the system's request. (In-
terestingly, the IBM example failed to
retrieve the Request Header's ad-
dress. Apparently, ES:BX doesn't
change at present, but CLOCK.COM
follows the protocol anyway.) Both
the Strategy and Interrupt addresses
are stored in the device header.
A Command Code byte is passed
in the Request Header, indicating the
function desired of the device. The
driver must decode and service this
request. All drivers have an initializa-
tion call when the system is booted.
As written, many other functions are
possible, including nondata I/O con-
trol of the device (IOCTL). CLOCK
does only simple input (read clock)
and output (set clock). A call to do
anything else results in the status
word going back to the DOS coded
as "unknown command."
It is the driver's responsibility to
save the machine state, and there
seems to be enough room on the
DOS stack to do this as well as use
PUSH and POP a few extra times.
Text continued on page 449
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January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 443
Circle 307 on inquiry card.
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Listing 1: A replacement system clock/device driver based on the IBM PC macroassembler.
TITLE Replacement systea clock driver for AST Board
COMMENT* This is an installable device driver to access the battery
driven clock on AST coabo board 6 1/0 port 2C0 ♦ IF »
COMMENT* Author: David K. Broadxell -- July 19B3 *
0000 CSEG SEBMENT PARA PUBLIC 'CODE'
I MACROS
STATUS MACRO STATE, ERR, RC
ifidn <STATE> f <D0NE>
OR ESIHORD PTR SRH STA_FLDCBX],0i00H
end if
: 0000
= 000D
= 0001
' 0002
: 0003
■ 0005
000E
= 0004
■ 000E
= 0010
0004
: 0007
■■ 0006
• 0008
= 0009
: 000B
■■ 0012
■■ 0014
: 016D
= 0002
: 0001
: 0010
■ 003C
oooo
0001
0102
0004
0006
• m
ifidn
<STATE>,<BUSY)
OR
ESIKORD PTR SRH_STA_FLDCBJ
endif
ifidn
(ERR).'
ERROR)
OR
ESlNQRD PTR SRH_STA_FLD[B*],1000H
endif
ifnb
<RC)
GR
ES:K0RD pt
endif
end*
; EQUATES
i
SRH
EQU
; STATIC REQUEST HEADER START
SRH LEN
EQU
13
! ' ' ' LENSTH
SRHlEN FLD
EQU
SRH
j ' ' ■ FIELD
SRH"UCD"FLD
EQU
SRH+I
ISRH UNIT CODE FIELD
SRH'CCD'FLD
EQU
SRH+2
JSRH C0MHAN0 CODE FIELD
SRH'STA'FLD
EQU
SRH+3
; SRH STATUS FIELD
srh;res;fld
EQU
SRH+5
JSRH RESERVED AREA FIELD
J INPUT OR OUTPUT
BUF
EQU
14
I0FFSET INTO THE REQ BLOCK OF DATA (BUFFER) TRANSFER ADDRESS
BUF_LEN
EQU
4
JBUF LENGTH
jINIT
BR ADDR
EQU
14
J CHARACTER DEVICE USUALLY ONLY SETS
BR'ADDR" 1
EQU
BR ADDR 0+2
I ENDING ADDR AND RETURNS
br;addr;len
EQU
4 " "
; OFFSETS FROM CLOCK BASE PORT
HON
EQU
7
J OFFSET OF MONTH
DAYY
EflU
6
J ' OF DAY OF MONTH
VALID
EQU
8
; ■ OF VALIDATION CODE IN RAH
MDN CHEf!
EQU
9
; ' OF H0NTH CHECKER IN RAH
SWITCH
EQU
0BH
; s OF LEAP BK RAM ON CHIP
COUNTER RESET
EQU
12H
; ■ OF RESETfRAH RESET IS ONE UP AT 13H)
STATUS_B"IT
EQU
14H
I0FFSET TO STATUS BYTE— B0=UNRELIABLE READ,00=0K
I MISC
DAYS YR
EQU
365
J DAYS PER USUAL YEAR
YES CODE
EQU
02
JYES CODE FOR LEAP YEAR B00KEEPING
NO CODE
EQU
01
!N0 CODE FOR SAHE
VALID CODE
EQU
10H
! VALIDATE CHIP CODE
DAYS_FEB29
EQU
60
;DAYS UP TO AND INCLUDING FEB 29THIF0R LEAP YEARS ONLY)
/structures
CLOCK
EQU
2C0H
IBASE PORT
; BI58157A CLOCK-CALENDAR CHIP I/D
ADDRESSES
clock: ports
STRUC
TEN TH0US
DB
7
; 1/lOOOOs of seconds(«ho cares?)
HUN0S
DB
j
•hundredths
SECS
DB
?
•seconds
HINS
DB
?
lunutes
HfiS
DB
7
ihours
m DAY
DB
?
iday of week
DAY"
DB
•j
•day of tonth
M0
DB
1
Jionth
VERIFY
DB
?
;c hip RAH used to check chip confiq at initialization
HON CHK
DB
?
;RAH with aonth of last chip access
YR "
DB
7
iyear-1980 (port 2C0+0A)
LEAP.BK
DB
7
;used for leap vear bonkeepmg iset to 02 when all 15 cacl
CL0CK.F0RTS
ENDS
ASS'-'KE :5:CSEG,Er:CSEG
mk-
re re rp zz
SE;T DE
■ ' L
i s l r e ■. i l
DP -I
m L i f.
;pd:mter to ne.-t ce'.::e
VJ04
90OS
ftTTRTBUTt
DH 900 9H
;CLQCf. E-EVICE '.'NEK E T [.
023F F:
ETPhTES
\
U DEV STP
ATEG;
; F 1 N' T E R TO DEVICE 5!RA T :E'
02W R
1MERSWFI
DX DE'/'IW
: FQIMTEft T IU T EFRUf T ^N" ( c:
43 4C _4F 47 4B 24
?EV.NAM
E
DB VM\ «
5 DEVICE Nf-.'E
0010
.
PB 2 DUFV
IFILLEF
ee::
,,,,
?.H OFF
DM
; SE9UE3T HEADER OFFSET
0014
??*'*
F:H~ SEG
DH
iR HDP SEGMENT
0016
USER BUF
i FUNCTION
DS
TABLE
lUSEF. TRhNSFER ADD«s5(3L r FFEV
001A
FirNTAB
LABEL
BYTE
OOIA
0319 S
DH
IN I T
MNITIA
JZATION -USED FIRST TIME DEV
02BG P
DH
MEDIA CHECK
i 'BLOC*
ONLY) -SOT USED
001E
026D R
DH
BUILD'BPB
;
-NOT USES
0020
02BD R
DN
IDCTL'IN
ilCCTL
INPUT -K0T USED
02C2 R
DM
INPUT"
; INPUT (READ! = GET THE TIME/DATE
0024
02BD R
DM
ND INPUT
: NON-DESTRUCTIVE 1NPUT1WAR ONLY) -NOT
002c
DH
IN'STAT
iCHAR ONLY -NOT USED
0028
02BD R
DW
IN" FLUSH
SC.D
-NOT USED
002A
02F1 P.
Dm
OUTPUT
lOLfTPUTiWRITE) = SET TIME/DATE
002C
•:bd r
DH
OUT VERIFY
J0UTPUT
¥; VERIFY -NOT USED
Listing 1 continued on page 445
444 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Listing 1 continued:
G02E 023D R
0030 02BD R
0032 G2BD ft
DK
OUT "STAT
JC.O.
-NOT USED
DK
OUT FLUSH
.CO.
-NOT USED
UK
IOCTL CUT
! IOCTL OUTPUT
-NOT USED
LOCAL DATA BLOCK IN DOS 2.0 FORMAT
0034
003.4
iii-i
I]
C037
"*?
0035
•>•)
0039
003A
003A
0000
003C
001F
003E
003B
0040
005A
0042
007B
0044
0097
0046
00B5
004B
00D4
004A
00F3
004C
0111
004E
0130
0050
014E
0052
016D
0054
<n
0055
n
0056
ii
0057
ii
005B
97
005?
005A
99
005B
99
005C
99
005D
99
005E
91
005F
0060
00
0061
??
CLk TPL LABEL BYTE
DW ?
S MONTH
TABLE
RON TBL LABEL
BYTE
DH
DH
31
DH
59
DM
90
DH
120
DH
151
DH
181
DH
212
DH
243
DH
273
DH
304
DH
334
DH
365
i TABLE OF CURF
UHR CLOCK PORTS
; DAI'S SINCE 1-1
JHINS
;HRS
S1/100THSSEC
;SECS
;JAN
;FEB
;MAR
;APR
.NAY
{JUNE
JJULY
;AU6
;sept
;oct
;nov
;334 DAYS UP TO DEC 1
JDAYS UP TO JAN I, NEXT YR
; A Hocates according to predefined STRUC
5 VARIABLES FOR TRACKING THOSE PESKY LEAP YEARS
LEAP STAT DB ilOH MEANS CURRENT YR IS A LEAP
NUM CEAPS DB ? JNUMBER OF LEAP YEARS SINCE 1990
LOCAL
PROCEDURES
0062
N SAVE PRDC
NEAR
0O62 26: 8B 47 OE
MOV
ax,es:hord ptr bufcbxj
JSAVE CALLER'S BUFFER ADD
00&6 2E: A3 0016 R
MOV
CSIUSER BUF.AX
006A 26: BB 47 10
MOV
AX,ES:W(JRD PTR BUF+2CBJC
006E 2E: A3 0018 R
MOV
CSIUSER BUFf2,AX
0072 C3
RET
0073
N_SAVE ENDP
0073 f
(EAD CLOCK
PROC NEAR
0073 OE
PUSH
CS
;SET UP TO READ CHIP AND STORE IT
0074 07
POP
ES
0075 BD 3E 0054 R 1
etry: LEA
DI,UHR
0079 FC
CLD
007A 2B CO
SUB
AX, AX
007C B9 OOOC
MDV
CX, 12
007F BA 02C0
MOV
DX, CLOCK
SADDRESS OF chip base port
00B2 EC
.oadit: in
AL.DX
0083 42
INC
DX
0084 51
PUSH
CX
00B5 EB 0132 R
CALL
DEC HEX
iCONVERT BCD TO HEX
OOBB AA
STOSB
00B9 59
POP
CX
{RESTORE COUNTER
OOBA E2 F6
LOOP
LOADIT
Check for
counter rollover during read(STATUS BYTE=B«H}
006C BA 02D4
MOV
DX,CLOCK+STATUS BIT
OOBF EC
IN
AL.DX
0090 B4 CO
TEST
AL.AL
RETRY
0092 75 EI
JNZ
Routines to lassage data for transfe
r to DOS
0094 EB 0110 R
CALL
NEW YEAR
JCHECK TO SEE IF IT'S A NEH YEAR
0097 EB OOAF R
CALL
DAYS
JNUHBER OF DAYS SINCE 1/1/BO
009A EB OOED R
CALL
TIME
{CURRENT TIME IN HEX
009D 2E: BE 06 001B R
MDV
ES, CSIUSER BUF+2
JSET DESTINATION (ES:DI) TO POINT TO
00A2 2E: BB 3E 0016 R
MOV
DI,CS:USER BUF
JCALLER'S BUFFER
00A7 OE
PUSH
CS
OOAB IF
POP
DS
{ESTABLISH SOURCE
;SI ALREADY HAS CLK TBL ADDRESS
00A9 B9 0006
MOV
CX,6
,6 BYTES
OOAC F3/ A4 f
EP MOVSB
J SEND INFO TO BUFFER FOR 'READ'
OOAE C3
RET
OOftF F
EAD CLOCK
ENDP
OOAF
DAYS PROC
NEAR
OOAF 26 CO
SUB
AX. AX
0061 AO 005E R
MOV
AL.UHR.YR
JYEAR-19B0
0064 BB 016D
MOV
BX.DAYS YR
00B7 F7 E3
MUL
BX
JMUL FOR DAYS
00B9 2B C9
SUB
CX,CX
OOBB BA OE 005B R
MOV
CL.UHR.HO
5L0AD MONTH IN CL AND ...
OOBF EB 0104 R
CALL
DAYS MONTH
1 CALL ROUTINE TO ACCESS MONTH TABLE
00C2 03 07
ADD
AX,«DRD PTRIBX]
JADD THAT YEAR'S DAYSfXCEPT CUR MO)
00C4 32 FF
XQR
BH.BH
00C6 BA IE 005A R
MOV
BL.UHR.DAY
56ET DAY OF HON
OOCA 03 C3
ADD
AX,BX
JDAYS SINCE 1-I-BO, EXCEPT LEAP DAYS
OOCC 50
PUSH
AX
OOCD AO 005E R
MOV
AL.UHR.YR
OODO EB 0151 R
CALL
LEAP CHK
; CHECK THOSE TOO
00D3 5B
POP
AX
Listing 1 continued on page 446
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OTHER INFORMATION: 602-867-9897
' <_J Free shipping is on UPS ground only. 1^5 ^E
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 445
EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
SOFTWARE
Excellent growth opportunity, possible
equity. Full relocation program.
Resumes, in strict confidence, to: Direc-
tor of Human Resources, Dept. Byte.
APS
1450 Broadway
NY, NY 10018
An Equal OppOMunity Employer M/F
New
EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
Section
BYTE will feature a special
section for recruitment
advertising in all future
issues.
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to look for those High
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Or, if you're looking for a
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telephone sales at
212/512-2556.
Or send in your order to:
BYTE
Recruitment Advertising
Center
P.O. Box 900
New York, NY 10020
Listing 1 continued:
00D4
00D6
OODfl
OODC
00E1
00E3
0OE6
OOEA
OOEC
OOED
OOED
OOED
00F1
00F3
00F6
00F7
OOFA
OOFB
OOFE
OOFF
0102
0103
0104
0104
0104
0107
0109
(MOD
010F
0110
0110
0110
0113
0117
0119
011B
011C
0120
0123
0126
0129
012A
012D
0130
0131
0132
0132
0132
0133
0135
0137
013B
013A
013C
013F
0141
0142
0142
0142
0144
0146
0148
014A
014C
014E
0150
0151
0151
0151
0153
0155
0157
'0159
015B
015D
0160
0162
0167
016A
016A
016F
0172
0173
0173
0173
0178
017A
017E
0182
0186
018D
01BF
0190
0192
0195
0197
019A
019B
019D
01A0
01A1
01A2
2B D2
BA 16 0061 R
03 C2
F6 06 0060 R 10
74 03
EB 0173 R
BD 36 0034 R
89 04
C3
BD 3E 0036 R
32 E4
A0 0057 R
AA
A0 0056 R
AA
A0 0055 R
AA
A0 0056 R
AA
C3
BO E9 01
DO CI
BD IE 003A R
03 D9
C3
A0 005B R
3A 06 005D R
7C 03
7F OF
C3
FE 06 005E R
A0 005E R
EB 0142 R
BA 02CA
EE
A0 005B R
BA 02C9
EE
C3
50
61 04
D2 E8
5B
B7 0A
F6 E7
80 E3 OF
02 C3
C3
2A E4
B3 0A
F6 F3
Bi 04
D2 E0
86 C4
0A C4
C3
3C 00
74 ID
32 E4
FE C8
B3 04
F6 F3
B0 FC 03
75 0B
B0 0E 0060 R 10
EB 06 90
C6 06 0060 R 00
A2 0061 R
C3
80 3E 005FR 02
74 48
BA 3E 005B R
BA IE 005A R
81 FB 0301
7E 3B
80 3E 005A R 01
74 16
50
32 E4
A0 005A R
FE C8
BA 02C6
EE
BI 02
BA 02CB
EE
56
EB IF 90
SUB
MOV
ADD
TEST
JZ
CALL
LEA
NOV
RET
0X,QX
DL,NUM LEAPS
AX.DX "
LEAP STAT,10H
Dl
LEAP ADJ
SI.ClK TBL
N0RD PTR [SI], AX
GET HRS,MIN,SEC, I/100THS SEC
TIME PR0C NEAR
0I,CLK TBL(2]
AH, AH "
AL,UHR\HINS
AL.UHR.HRS
AL.UHR.HUNDS
AL.UHR.SECS
TIME
PR0C
LEA
X0R
MDV
ST0S8
NOV
ST0SB
H0V
ST0SB
nov
ST0SB
RET
EN0P
DAYS MONTH
" SUB
R0L
LEA
ADD
RET
DAYS MONTH
NEW YEAR PR0C
HDV
CMP
JL
JG
RET
NE«: INC
MOV
CALL
HDV
OUT
UPDATE: H0V
MOV
OUT
RET
NEW YEAR ENDP
DEC HEX PR0C
PUSH
MDV
SHR
POP
MOV
MUL
AND
ADD
RET
DEC HEX ENDP
HEX DEC PR0C
SUB
MOV
DIV
MOV
SHL
XCH6
OR
RET
HEX DEC EN0P
LEAP CHK PR0C
" CMP
JE
XOR
DEC
MOV
DIV
CMP
JNE
OR
JMP
NOT LEAP:
" MOV
Ll: MOV
L2: RET
LEAP CHK ENDP
PR0C NEAI
CL,I
CL,I
BX,M0N TSL
BX.CX "
ENDP
NEAR
AL,UHR.M0
AL.UHR.N0N CHK
NEW
UPDATE
UHR.YR
AL,UHR.YR
HEX DEC
DX,tL0CK*l0
DX.AL
AL,UHR.H0
DX.CLOCK+9
0X,AL
NEAR
AX
CL.4
AL,CL
BX
BH,10
8H
BL,0FH
AL.BL
NEAR
AH, AH
BL.10
BL
CL.04
AL,CL
AL,AH
AL,AH
NEAR
AL,0
L2
AH, AH
AL
BL,4
BL
AH. 3
NOT LEAP
LEA? STAT, 10H
Ll
LEAP STAT.O
HUH LEAPS. AL
LEAP ADJ PROC NEAR
CMP UHR.LEAP BK, YES CODE
JE D0NE1
MDV BH,UHR.M0
MDV BL,UHR.DAY
CMP BX.0301H
JLE 00NE2
J BACK UP A DAY AND RECORD IT IN RAH:
CMP
JE
PUSH
XOR
HOV
DEC
m:: MDV
OUT
MDV
MDV
OUT
POP
JMP
fooey: sub
UHR.DAY,!
FOOEY
AX
AH, AH
AL, UHR.DAY
AL
DX,CLDCK*DAYY
DX.AL
AL,YES CODE
DX,CLOCKtSHITCH
DX.AL
AX
D0NE2
CX.CX
;ADD IN OLD LEAP DAYS
! CURRENT YEAR A LEAP?
iJMP ON NO
;YES -GO FIX THINGS
J SAVE RESULT
jSET UP TO LOAD DATA LOCALLY IN RIGHT ORDER
! month arrives here in cl
jadjust to get the correct
j offset into the table
!get addr of month table
jnok word ptribxj has num of days up to current
JCHECK FOR A 'NEH YEAR' AND/OR UPDATE HON CHK
! CURRENT MONTH
JSTORED ON CHIP- THE LAST 'MONTH' HE READ IT
! KI2 SO IT'S A NEW YEAR
; IT'S A NEW MONTH
I SAME OLD MONTH - 60 BACK
! LAST YEAR - 1980, ♦!
5MAKE IT BCD LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE
;RAM ADOR FOR YR
JUPDATE H0N_CHK ON RAM
{CONVERTS SMALL PACKED BCD TO HEX
! CONVERTS HEX NUMBERS UP TO 63H(=99) TO BCD
JHEX NUMBER PASSED IN AL
I SETS NUMBER OF LEAP YEARS PAST i STATUS BYTE
JIS IT 19807
!YES - FORGET THE REST
JPUT YEAR-1980 IN AL BEFORE CALL
JSET LEAP STATUS BIT 0N(CURR YR IS A LEAP)
{NUMBER OF LEAP DAYS SINCE 1980
iADJUSTS CHIP AND/OR DAYS COUNT DURIN6 LEAPS
JHAVE HE ALREADY DONE THE BOOKEEPING?
JJUMP ON YES
IIS IT BEFORE/AT FEB29? —(CHIP THINKS IT'S 3/11
JIS IT THE 1ST OF A MONTH?
JJUMP ON YES AND WHAT A PAIN
INO -JUST BACK UP ONE DAY AND SET LEAP BK
JSET LEAPJK ON RAN SO HE WON'T HAVE TO DO THIS AGAIN
JBACK UP DAY AND MONTH BOTH
Listing 1 continued on page 447
446 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
LIS
0IA7
ting i continued
8fl OE 005B It
HDV
CL,UHR.MO
OlflB
50
PUSH
AK
OlflC
BB CI
MOV
AX,CK
OIAE
Bfl 02C7
MOV
DX,CLOCK+MON
01B1
FE CB
DEC
AL
01B3
EE
OUT
DX.AL
01B4
B3 C2 02
ADD
DX,2
JRESET MONTH VERIFY ON RAH TOO
1167
EE
OUT
DX.AL
DAYS MONTH
OIBB
E8 0104 R
CALL
OIBB
BB 07
MOV
AX, HARD PTRT.BXJ
;NOH FIND HOW MANY DAYS LAST MONTH HAD
OIBD
26 47 FE
SUB
AX, WORD PTRCBXJ-2
JYESTERDAY NOW IN AL
OICO
EB D5
JMP
BAK
JFINISH UP
01C2
40
DONEl:
INC
AX
JflLL THE REST OF YR ADD ONE MO' DAY
01C3
C3
D0NE2
RET
01C4
LEAP_ADJ
ENDP
C'1C4
SET_CLOCfc
PROC NEAR
iGETS DATA FROM DOS, CRUNCHES IT I SETS chip
01C4
2E: BE IE 001B R
MOV
DS,CS:USER BUF+2
5SET SOURCE TO CALLER'S (DOS) BUFFER BLK ADR
01C9
2E: 96 36 0016 R
MOV
SI,CS:USER~BUF
OICE
OE
PUSH
CS
OICF
07
POP
ES
OiDO
9B 3E 0034 R
LEA
D1,CL>: TBL
01D4
B9 0006
MOV
CX,o "
;SET UP TO MOVE DATA LOCALLY
01D7
FC
CLD
0108
F3/ A4
REP
MOVSB
:D0 IT
; CALCULATE AND LOAD LOCAL CLOCK CHIP
TABLE (STRUCTURE)
01DA
OE
'
PUSH
CS
01DB
IF
POP
DS
(ESTABLISH DS AS THIS SEG
01DC
EB 01F9 R
CALL
LOAD TICKS
5D0 TIME PART(EASY)
01DF
EB 0210 R
I SET
CALL
CHIP
UNSCKAM
;days to yr-mo-day
01E2
2B CO
'
SUB
AX. AX
01E4
B9 OOOC
MOV
CX,12
01E7
Bfl 02C0
MOV
DX. CLOCK
5CHIP BASE PORT ADDRESS
OlEfl
BD 36 0054 R
LEA
SI,UHR
;SOURCE=CHIP TABLE WE'VE SET UP
01EE
AC
DhPIT
LODSB
JHOVE DATA TO AL
01EF
51
PUSH
CX
5NEXT routine trashes counter
OlFO
EB 0142 R
CALL
HEX DEC
5CHANGE TO BCD
0IF3
EE
OUT
DX,ffL
; "WRITE" TO CHIP
01F4
42
INC
DX
;NEXT PORT
01F5
59
POP
CX
01F6
E2 F6
LOOP
DMPIT
SLOOP 'TIL DONE
01FB
C3
RET
01F9
SET_CLOCK
ENDP
01F9
LOAD.TICKS
PROC NEAR
5L0AD TIME INTO CHIP STRUCTURE FORMAT
01F9
BD 36 0036 R
LEA
5I,CLK TBLf.21
OIFD
32 E4
XOR
AH, AH
OlFF
AC
LODSB
0200
A2 0057 R
MOV
UHR.MINS,AL
0203
AC
LODSB
0204
A2 005B R
MOV
UHR.HRS,AL
0207
AC
LODSB
020B
A2 0055 R
MOV
UHR.HUNDS,AL
020B
AC
LODSB
020C
A2 0056 R
MOV
UHR.SECS,AL
020F
C3
RET
0210
LOAD.TICKS
ENDP
0210
IINSCRAM PROC
NEAR
;days since 1/1/ao to mm/dd/yy
I
0210
BD 2E 0034 R
LEA
BP,CLK TBL
1
0214
2E: BB 46 00
MOV
AX,MORD" PTR CSlCBPJ
;FIRST WORD IN CLK TBL
m
0218
3D 0000
CMP
AX,0
;1F IT'S 1-1-80, TAKE SHORT CUT
m
021B
74 67
JE
U4
021D
BB 016D
MOV
BX,DAYS_YR
0220
99
CHD
; BLANK OUT DX FOR DIVIDE
0221
F7 F3
DIV
BX
jYRS GO TO AL. DAYS LEFT TO DI
ISAVE YRS SINCE 1980
0223
A2 005E R
MOV
UHR.YR.AL
;now check whether leap days or end of
0226
EB 0151 R
CALL
LEAP CHK
i YEAR HAVE HADE IT LOOK LIKE A NEW YR
0229
2B C9
SUB
CX.CJT
022B
BA OE 0061 R
MOV
CL,NUM LEAPS
022F
36 Dl
CMP
DX.CX "
0231
7F OE
J6
OK
;1F REMAINDER DAYS<LEAP DAYS, FIX IT
0233
81 C2 016D
ADD
DX.DAYS YR
UHR.YR "
0237
FE OE 005E R
DEC
5ALL FIXED NOW
•23B
AO 005E R
MOV
AL.UHR.YR
;redo leap variables
023E
EB 0151 R
CALL
LEAP CHK
0241
33 D6
ok:
XOR
BX,Bf
C243
BA IE 0061 ft
MOV
BL,NUH LEAPS
0247
2B D3
SUB
DX,BX "
JCORRECT FOR LEAPS
0249
F6 06 0060 R 10
TEST
LEAP STAT.10H
CURRENT YEAR A LEAP?
024E
74 OE
JZ
UO
JJUMP ON NO
0250
B3 FA 3C
CMP
DX.DAYS FEB29
JAT/BEFORE FEB 29?
0253
7E 09
JLE
UO
;yes -jump
0255
C6 06 005F R 02
MOV
UHR.LEAP BK,YES CODE
;SET RAH SWITCH TO 'YES'
025A
4A
DEC
DX
;N0 - TAKE OUT THAT EXTRA DAY
0256
EB 06 90
JMP
Ui
025E
C6 06 005F R 01
ut:
MOV
UHR.LEAP BK.NO CODE
;SET RAH TO 'NO'
0263
BB 001A
ui:
MOV
BX.26 "
0266
BD 3E 003A R
LEA
OJ.HON TBL
026A
83 EB 02
U2:
SUB
Bit 2 "
HOito PTR [DIKBXJ.DX
026D
39 11
CMP
026F
7D F9
J6E
U2
;FIND RIGHT MONTH IN TABLE
0271
2B 11
SUB
DX.HORD PTR [DIHBX]
5DAYS INTO MONTH LEFT IN DX
0273
DO CB
ROR
BL.l
0275
FE C3
INC
BL
0277
BB 16 005A R
U3:
MOV
UHR.DAY.DL
027B
BB IE 005D R
MOV
UHR.MON CHK,6L
I SET UP MONTH VERIFY IN RAH TOO
•27F
88 IE 005B R
MOV
UHR.HO,BL
02B3
C3
RET
02B4
B2 00
U4:
MOV
DL,0
;SET UP FOR 1-1-80 'in the beginning..."
02B6
B3 01
MOV
BL.l
0288
C6 06 005E R 00
MOV
UHR.YR.O
02BD
EB EB
JMP
U3
02BF
UNSCRAH ENDP
;
DEVI
C E STRATEGY
028f
DEVJTRATEGY:
Listing 1 continued on
page 448
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Listing 1 continued:
028F
2E:
8C 06 0014 R
MOV
CS:RH SES.ES fSAVE SE6MENT OF RE6UEST HEADER PTR
0294
2E:
89 IE 0012 R
MOV
CS:RH"_OFF,BX iSAVE OFFSET OF SAME
0799
CB
RET
J DEVICE INTERRUPT HANDLER
029A
DEV INT:
PRESERVE MACHINE STATE
029A
FC
CLD
029B
IE
PUSH
OS
029C
06
PUSH
ES
0290
50
PUSH
AX
029E
53
PUSH
BX
029F
51
PUSH
CX
02AI
52
PUSH
OX
02AI
57
PUSH
DI
02A2
56
PUSH
SI
JBRANCH ACCORDING TO THE FUNCTION PASSED
02A3
2E:
8B IE 0012 R
NOV
BX.CSIRH OFF |6ET REQUEST BLOCK ADDRESS FROM WHERE
02A8
2E:
BE 06 0014 R
NOV
es,cs:rh"seg ; device strategy put it
02AD
26:
8A 47 02
MOV
AL.ES:[BX>2 |6ET FUNCTION BYTE
02B1
DO CO
RQL
AL,i ;SET OFFSET INTO TABLE
02B3
80 3E 001A R
LEA
DI.FUNTAB ;6ET ADDR OF FUNCTION TABLE
0287
32 E4
XGft
AH, AH
0289
03 FB
ADD
DI.AX
tiORO PTRCDI3
02BB
FF
25
JHP
5 THE FOLLOWING ENTRIES ARE NOT SUPPORTED BY THIS DEVICE
02BD
I0CTL in:
028D
ioctl"out:
02BD
NO INPUT:
028D
IN "STAT:
02BD
in'flush:
02BD
our STAT:
028D
our FLUSH:
%
028D
hEDrA CHECK:
02BD
build'bpb:
02BD
out vfJrify:
" STATUS
DONE, ERROR, 03 5 SET STATUS BYTE AS 'ERR0R-UNK COMMAN
028D
26:
81 4F 03 0100
♦ OR
ESlMORD PTR SRH STA FLDCBN.0100H
02C3
26:
81 4F 03 1000
♦ OR
ESIWORD PTR SRH"STA~FLDCBX],1000H
02C9
26:
81 4F 03 0003
t OR
ESlHORD PTR SRH" STA" FLDCBX 1,03
02CF
EB 3F 90
JHP
EXIT " "
f INPUT = READ THE CLOCK CHIP
0202
Input:
0202
EB 0062 R
CALL
IN SAVE ;CALL THE INITIAL SAVE RTN
02D5
EB 0073 R
CALL
READ CLOCK JREAD IN THAT DATE/TIME
0208
2E:
BB IE 0012 R
NOV
BX.CSlRH OFF JREST0RE ES:BX AS REB HDR PTR
0200
2E:
BE 06 0014 R
MOV
STATUS
ES,CSlRH"SEG
DONE.NQEffROR.O
ESIWORD PTR SRH STA FLDCBX], 0I00H
02E2
26:
81 4F 03 0100
♦ OR
02E8
26:
81 4F 03 0000
♦ OR
ESIWORD PTR SRH"STA7LDCBX],0
02EE
EB 20 90
JHP
EXIT ' "
1 OUTPUT = SET TIME k DATE
02FI
output:
02FI
EB 001
CALL
IN SAVE JCALL INITIAL SAVE ROUTINE
02F4
EB
0IC4 R
CALL
SET CLOCK iSET TIME & DATE
02F7
2E:
88 IE 0012 R
MOV
BX.CSlRH OFF JREST0RE ES:BX AS REQUEST HDR PTR
02FC
2E:
BE 06 0014 R
MOV
STATUS
ES,CS:RH"SEG
DONE.NOEffROR.O
ESIWORD PTR SRH STA FLDIBZ]. 0I00H
0301
26:
81 4F 03 0100
+ OR
0307
26:
81 4F 03 0000
+ OR
ESIWORD PTR SRH'STA*FLDCBXJ,0
0300
EB 01 90
JMP
EXIT " "
j EVERBODY'S EXIT
0310
exit:
0310
5E
POP
SI
0311
5F
POP
DI
0312
5A
POP
DX
0313
59
POP
CX
0314
58
POP
BX
0315
58
POP
AX
0316
07
POP
ES
0317
IF
POP
DS
0318
CB
RET
j IKIT
0319
init:
0319
0E
PUSH
CS
031A
58
POP
AX ; CURRENT CS TO AX
031B
05 0319 R
ADD
AX, OFFSET INIT
031E
26:
C7 47 0E 0000
MOV
ESIWORD PTR BR ADDR 0CBXJ,0
0324
26:
89 47 10
H0V
ES:BR ADDR 1[BX"J,AX" j MAKE THAT THE BREAK ADDR
ICHECK VERIFY BYTE - HAS SOME OTHER SOFTWARE DIDDLED THE CLOCK?
0328
BA 02CB
MOV
DX,CLDCK+VALID ; PORT FOR VERIFY RAM
032B
EC
IN
AL,DX
032C
3C
10
CMP
AL, VALID CODE JARBITRARY VALIDATION CODE
FINE " iJUHP ON OK
032E
74
0E
n
{RESET CHIP-CAN' T TRUST IT
0330
B0 FF
MOV
AL.0FFH JRESET ALL REGISTERS
0332
BA 0202
MOV
DX,CL0CK+C0UNTER RESET
0335
EE
OUT
DX t AL JRESET ALL COUNTERS
0336
42
INC
DX JRAM(LATCH) RESET ADDR
0337
EE
OUT
DX,AL JN0N RESET RAM
033B
B0
10
MOV
AL.VALID CODE
033A
BA 02C8
flOV
DX,CL0CK+"VALID JN0W VALIDATE RAM
0330
EE
OUT
DX.AL
033E
FINE: STATUS
D0NE.N0ERROR.O
ES: WORD PTR SRH STA FLDCBX] , 100H
033E
26:
8i 4F 03 0100
+ OR
0344
26:
81 4F 13 0000
♦ OR
ESIWORD PTR SRH"STA" FLDCBX],
034A
EB C4
JHP
EXIT
034C
CLK ENDP
034C
CSEG ENDS
448 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Text continued from page 443:
The DOS manual warns that heavy
stack use might require a separate
stack, however.
When initialized (INIT), the driver
must tell the DOS the ending ad-
dress of its code. PC-DOS 2.0 allo-
cates all available memory to a pro-
gram unless it is told otherwise, and
failure to indicate an end causes quite
a hang-up. This feature also allows
disposable initialization code and at-
tendant memory conservation.
When finished, the driver sets ap-
propriate bits in a STATUS word
located in the Request Header.
The Hardware
Normally, when the system is
booted up, the PC starts counting
timer ticks and uses software in the
ROM (read-only memory) BIOS
(basic input/output system) and disk
system files to keep track of the time
and date. You can set both, but the
machine obviously has no memory of
either when switched off. Many
manufacturers are now supplying
real-time clock/calendar chips with
on-board battery backup.
Software is supplied to access the
chip and set the time and date at
start-up. AST Research supplies two
programs at present to service the
MM58167A chip. One reads the chip
and sets the system time/date, and
one sets the chip functions.
The MM58167A chip provides the
time, day of the week, day of the
month, and month, with capabilities
for alarm features and synchronized
start-up for precise timing. All data
is stored on the chip in binary-coded
decimal (BCD) format. Unfortunate-
ly, as shown in figure 2, PC-DOS 2.0
requires data from the system
CLOCK$ in a somewhat different for-
mat. Not only does it want the count
of days since 1-1-80, but it also wants
it in hexadecimal. The chip has no
provisions for handling leap years or
for keeping track of the year in any
manner. Hidden in PC-DOS 2.0 are
some appropriate algorithms for do-
ing all this, but our driver reinvents
the wheel and gives the PC-DOS 2.0
the raw hexadecimal data.
In addition to the counters on the
clock chip, a bank of programmable
latches also can be used as a non-
volatile RAM for storing the year,
keeping track of leap-year bookkeep-
ing, and checking to see if some other
software has violated the clock or
reset it. Much of the clock-driver pro-
gram is devoted to these tasks. Other
pertinent registers on the chip are a
status register that indicates an in-
valid read due to counter rollover and
registers to reset the counters and
clear the RAM. All of these registers
and counters have discrete I/O port
addresses beginning at the base
clock-port address hexadecimal 2C0
and ending at hexadecimal 2C0 + 1F.
It appears that most other real-time
clock chips work in a similar fashion,
storing data in BCD. This driver can
be adapted to other boards by chang-
ing the appropriate base-port address
and chip structure (provided it gives
you a place to hide control bytes in
nonvolatile RAM).
The Software
At the beginning of listing 1, the
program makes use of two features
of the macroassembler to make the
EXCEL SYSTEMS CORPORATION'S
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RESULTS
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DECIDE Today's world demands clear decisions. How well you
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MNU Tired of searching through disk directories for your favorite
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MNU is results!
SYSTEMS CORPORATION
655 Redwood Highway. Suite 311. Mill Valley, California 94941
Ask your Dealer to demonstrate the entire EXCEL SYSTEMS line for you.
Circle 460 on inquiry card.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 449
Join us
Electronics
magazine is on the move! We
now have several exciting edi-
torial openings for experi-
enced technical editors or en-
gineers who seek a career
change.
Electronics
editors learn first about excit-
ing new technology trends by
visiting the high-tech firms
that are creating them; they
attend technical conferences,
interview industry movers
and shakers, and write and
edit stories about what they
learn.
We 're looking for BSEEs or the
equivalent, and some engineer-
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the following fields: semicon-
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system design, software, tele-
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If you have these qualifications
and an ability to write clearly
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McGraw-Hill with the industry's
most authoritative information
source. We're an equal opportu-
nity employer.
Send your resume to or phone:
Samuel Weber
Editor-in-Chief
Electronics
1221 Avenue of the Americas
New York, N. Y. 10020
(212) 512-6093
Word (0-1)
number of days since 1 Jan
jary 1980
Byte (2)
minutes
Byte (3)
hours
Byte (4)
1/100ths of a second
Byte (5)
seconds
Figure 2: PC-DOS format requirements for date/time transfer with the National Semicon-
ductor MM58167A Real-Time Clock chip.
program easier to write and more
readable. The STATUS macro bor-
rowed from IBM helps by managing
the setting of the status bit in the Re-
quest Header. It is expanded during
compilation into the appropriate one
or two lines of code. If the DOS
should ever call on the clock for
something inappropriate, like build-
ing a BIOS parameter block, the ex-
panded STATUS macro will return
the proper error code.
The STRUC (structure) pseudo op
code generates no machine code
directly but permits easy allocation of
storage space and data access. The
CLOCICJ^ORTS structure is set up
to manipulate data the way the I/O
ports line up on the chip. The UHR
table of variables is set up according
to this structure. The field names
used act as mnemonics for offsets.
For example, the value of the hours
read into or written from the table is
merely UHR.HRS. Similarly, [BX].HRS
would return the value in memory
located at the address in BX plus an
offset of four. Structures also can be
initialized at execution time to any
value you choose, although here I've
left it indeterminate.
After the required Special Device
Header is the storage area of the pro-
gram. This so-called data segment
contains pointer storage, a function
table for calculating what the DOS
wants, local data storage such as
UHR, and a month table. This table
is used to transform the number of
days to a month-day-year format and
back again. It would be nice to use
the 8088's XLAT op code for table
lookups here but, unfortunately,
XLAT translates only bytes, not
words. The 8086 also suffers from
this limitation.
Several of the subroutines are
called many times. DEC HEX and
HEX_DEC convert packed BCD
numbers back and forth to hexadeci-
mal. LEAP CHK checks to see if the
current year is a leap year, computes
corrective leap days to add or subtract
from the count, and sets local vari-
ables to indicate its findings (LEAP
STAT and NUM_LEAPS). NEW_
YEAR compares the current month to
a month-check byte stored in RAM
on the chip. It updates the latter if
necessary and handles the rollover to
a new year. DAYS MONTH (in lieu
of XLAT) returns with BX pointing in
the MON_TBL to the number of
days in a year up to the current
month.
Reading or setting the time portion
of the clock is a simple pass-through
of data, but special routines handle
the date. DAYS reads the date and
puts it into the DOS format;
UNSCRAM does the opposite. The
year minus 1980 is stored in RAM.
During leap years the chip thinks
February 29th is March. 1st. In this
case, LEAP ADJ resets the chip and
also writes code into its RAM to
signal that it has been done.
Is It Worth It?
Are all of the new features of PC-
DOS 2.0 worthwhile? I don't think a
two-disk-drive PC owner will have
missed the boat by continuing to use
version 1.1. If you have a hard disk,
however, or are contemplating special
applications such as remote modem
control, data acquisition, or writing
your own command processor, PC-
DOS 2.0 is the only way to go.B
For those who prefer to let someone else do
the typing, a 5 } A-inch PC-DOS disk with the
source code, CONFIG.SYS examples, and a
COM version is available from the author for
$15.
David K. Broadwell, M.D. (135 Hospital Dr.,
Angleton, TX 77515), is a specialist in internal and
aviation medicine. An instrument-rated pilot, ama-
teur radio operator, soccer fan, and IBM PC user,
he has his sights set on becoming an astronaut.
450 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
BYTE's User to User
Conducted by Jerry Pournelle
Bypassing FIELD
Dear Jerry,
In "Eagles, Text Editors, New Com-
pilers, and Much More" (September, page
307), you mention Microsoft BASIC and
make a passing reference to its FIELD
statement. The FIELD statement can be
almost completely bypassed if you simply
ignore the way they say to use it. I always
define one and only one variable in a
single FIELD statement for any MBASIC
"R" file. I define the variable to be the size
of the entire file buffer— since the buffer
is limited to 128 bytes. Unless you're
using a parameter when loading MBASIC
from CP/M, there is no problem about
string sizes. This avoids the problem of
numerous string variables that would
result from following Microsoft's direc-
tions. It also allows more flexibility. The
same field is used even for records with
different contents. For example, in
ephemeris files, my first record is two in-
tegers and a double-precision number (12
bytes), and all later records are three
single-precision numbers (12 bytes). Or,
a more complex record occupying five
128-byte sectors— one FIELD of 128 bytes
is all it takes.
It works this way: the manuals warn
you never to use normal string operations
on FIELDed variables— the actual restric-
tion is never use normal assignments. You
can use LEFT?, MID$, and RIGHTS to
read FIELDed variables. For assignments,
what I do is build up my record using
string concatenation with a throwaway
string variable, then use LSET to put it
in the buffer variable. The MKI$, MKS$,
and MKD$ functions will work with any
string variable— they are not restricted to
buffer variables. Similarly, the CVI, CVS,
and CVD functions will accept substrings
extracted by LEFT?, MID$, and RIGHTS.
Is it at all likely that there will ever be
an 8086 version of Write?
Mark Pottenger
838 5th Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90005
That's certainly one way to deal with the
dreaded FIELD statement.
An 8086 version of Write is in preparation
now. It had better be, since I'm not going to
stay with a Z80 forever! If Tony doesn't get
it done pretty soon, I'll write my own version
in Modula-2. . . . Jerry
A Doc's Best Friend
Dear Jerry,
A comment from a practicing physician
on the Problem-Knowledge Coupler
(dubbed Auto-Doc in "New Computers,
Boards, Languages, and Other Tidbits/'
October, page 107): I want one. It will sure
reduce my malpractice exposure. This is
especially true for psychiatrists like my-
self. For example, I had a hunch that a
foreign service officer's depression was
actually an infection with a parasite. He
had to wait until he was transferred to
Southeast Asia to get it diagnosed.
(National Institutes of Health was no
help.)
I treated another case of depression
with a diuretic. After her first visit, she
didn't need me anymore. It turns out that
asymptomatic mild congestive heart
failure can cause depression.
The point is this: Many physicians to-
day are specialists, and specialists per-
force have limited experience outside
their specialties. We need something to
extend our experience. In medical school,
we all carried pocket notebooks crammed
with salient information which we had
not yet or never would memorize. We
called them "peripheral brains." I think
the extension is obvious and should be
welcomed.
Ed Hume
Washington, DC
An excellent point. It would be surprising
if psychiatrists could keep up with new
developments, or even remember all they once
knew about internal medicine. Dr. Weed's
Problem-Knowledge Coupler (PKC) should be
a real boon to the medical specialist— not to
mention to the patient. I hope to have more
about his diagnostic programs in an upcom-
ing issue. . . . Jerry
Languages of the Future
Dear Jerry,
I agree that none of us has a completely
unclouded crystal ball, but I am surprised
at some of the conclusions you have ar-
rived at in your article "The Debate Goes
On . . ." (August, page 312). I would have
thought that both of us are in the same
business, futurism, but for different
reasons. You for the purpose of writing
entertainment fiction, and me for making
investment recommendations. Still, your
conclusions seem to ignore existing tech-
nology, let alone what seems to be com-
ing over the horizon.
If you consider the Apple II, TRS-80
Model m, and the like, all first-generation
microcomputers, then the IBM Personal
Computer should be considered a late
first-generation microcomputer. The
Apple Lisa is the beginning of the second
generation. The Motorola 68000 micro-
processor in the Lisa is capable of ad-
dressing something over 11 megabytes
(MB) of memory and Motorola promises
a 32-bit version of that chip "soon" that
would address 32 MB.
According to the trade announcements,
upcoming 256K-bit memory chips will
use CMOS technology that will make
them usable for permanent or at least
semipermanent storage, ending the
distinction between RAM and ROM
memory. Therefore, if you consider only
existing technology and past price-curve
performance, the magnetic-storage media
manufacturers will be the buggy-whip
makers of the mid-to-late 80s.
The answer to your question of which
high-level language will prevail over the
next five years is none of those you men-
tioned, or indeed, any high-level lan-
guage as they are now recognized. Large
memories will bring along self -program-
ming computers that will program in ma-
chine language. Machine language would
be our answer now, except it remains too
difficult for most of us to learn and im-
plement. The next 10 to 15 years will see
microcomputers with enormous memo-
ries, probably multistate, which would be
beyond human ability to program in any
event. We may not see Arthur Clarke's
HAL by 2001, but we seem to be on the
road.
Adolph L. Friedman
112 Camino Escondido #4
POB 2856
Santa Fe, NM 87501
J thought I'd said that within five years, the
floppy disks will be relegated to their original
role of data transfer. Certainly I agree that
with memory getting both cheaper and less
volatile, well see some revolutionary develop-
ments in mass storage.
Regarding languages, perhaps; although
five years is, I think, too short a time limit.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 451
BYTE's User to User.
VAX and LISP machines aren't yet self-pro-
gramming even in graduate schools of com-
puter science; I'm pretty sure my desk micro
won't be that smart by 1990, which is stretch-
ing past the five years of my article anyway.
Certainly, though, that's what some of the
artificial-intelligence troops are working
toward, and I expect we'll both live to see
it. . . . Jerry
Defending FORTH
Dear Jerry,
I was excited to see a special article on
microcomputer languages ("The Debate
Goes On . . .," August, page 312). As a
language hacker, I am familiar with most
of the languages you mentioned, plus a
few others. Much of what you wrote was
timely and probably accurate. I must,
however, take exception to your com-
ments on FORTH and LISP.
You seem to be misinformed on both
languages, yet you claim knowledge of
both. As I am most familiar with FORTH,
let me set you straight on the subject (I'm
sure you'll get plenty of mail from all the
LISPers).
For one thing, LISP will never absorb
FORTH. The^two languages are too dif-
ferent. Each has its place in the scheme
of things. LISP, which is modeled after
the lambda calculus, was created in the
bowels of the MIT artificial-intelligence
labs. Its purpose is to give experimenters
in A I the tools to go about their trade.
FORTH was invented by Charles Moore
to provide the tools necessary for ma-
chine control and data collection. In this
light, Moore's aim was to provide speed,
efficiency, and productivity.
Looking at the environments of the two
languages does reveal similarities. Both
systems are compiled and then inter-
preted at run time. Both are implemented
in an interactive environment and both
look cryptic to the uninformed observer
(LISP especially so).
If one looks a little closer, though, it be-
comes apparent that the two environ-
ments are totally different. FORTH is ex-
ceedingly small and very fast. On most
microcomputers, FORTH's inner inter-
preter is only a few bytes long. The code
generated by the FORTH compiler is very
compact (even more compact than assem-
bly language). One can strip out the parts
of the system that aren't needed to make
the code even more compact. This makes
it possible to generate tight, ROMable
code. With FORTH, real-time, interrupt-
driven applications are easy because the
language is modular and close to the
hardware. Many applications use these
features to great advantage. The Craig
Language Translator was programmed
entirely in FORTH, as are a lot of coin-
operated arcade games.
Hardware developers use FORTH be-
cause it is a very productive environment
to work in. FORTH's modularity, exten-
sibility, and virtual memory make it a hot-
bed for development. Recently, much is
being said for developing business ap-
plications in FORTH. This is where
FORTH's virtual memory can strut its
stuff. Plus, the tools developed for one
application can be transported to another
with little or no change.
Much of the early problems with trans-
portability of FORTH is being addressed
by an international standards team com-
posed of FORTH programmers. This
gives the assurance that a standard trans-
portable language will exist. And because
FORTH is an evolving language, obsoles-
cence is not in its future.
FORTH integrates extremely well into
the microcomputer environment. Its
advantages of speed and memory effi-
ciency make it an almost ideal language
for the small computer. (The Motorola
6809E is almost a FORTH machine in
silicon.) For large systems, FORTH is at
home as well. Multitask and multiuser
primitives are easily added to the system.
As a bonus, multiuser FORTH code is in-
herently reentrant.
Now, tell me again how LISP will ab-
sorb FORTH. As a reference to learn
about each language, you may want to
look at August 1980 BYTE for FORTH and
August 1979 BYTE for LISP. And please
try to be more informed before making
rash statements like this.
Arne W. Flones
425 West Ninth St.
Wichita, KS 67203
Thank you. You speak well for FORTH. Per-
haps I was a bit strong. However, what I said
was, "I suspect that as LISPs get more com-
mon, LISP will get the bulk of the recruits who
would otherwise have gone to FORTH." I was
careful not to say that FORTH would vanish.
I'm still not certain that I was mistaken.
True, the two languages are different; but as
hardware evolves and computer power becomes
cheaper, our desk machines will look more like
the big machines available in computer labs
and universities.
I think LISP is more popular with computer
scientists than FORTH is. It certainly is at
MIT and Stanford (and my friendships at
those two institutions probably do influence
my thinking). Thus more students are likely
to be exposed to LISP than FORTH, and are
thus more likely to use it. Recall also that
when I say "popular," I mean in the context
of microcomputer sales: 30,000 to 300,000
machines a month. Given those sales, even
"unpopular" can translate to a heck of a lot
of users!
In any event, alas, I don't know either LISP
or FORTH. However, experts on both have of-
fered me tutorials. One day I'll have time to
accept. . . . Jerry
Heathkit Horror
Dear Jerry,
I recently purchased a Heathkit H-100
computer. It has two floppy disks, 192K
bytes, color graphics, color monitor, etc.
My decision to buy the H-100 was influ-
enced by several factors. The 16-bit word
was a must. The advertised repair facili-
ties at the Heathkit Electronic Centers
were very important. Price was a consid-
eration. Most important was the Heath-
advertised assurance 'And every step of
the way, you have our pledge— We won't
let you fail. Help is as close as your phone
or the nearest Heathkit Electronic Center."
In the past, I have built several kits. This
time, however, while building the disk-
controller board I managed to get the
wrong part in the right hole (or vice
versa). Attempting to get it out I damaged
the board. My fault, so I have no com-
plaint there.
Remembering the glowing "We won't
let you fail" message, I went trotting
down to the local Heathkit center. There
the local electronics guru agreed the
board was damaged. However, it did not
appear to be beyond repair.
For an additional fee of fifty dollars, the
local Heathkit center sent the board back
to the factory for "reconstruction." So far
so good. For a price, Heath seemed to be
living up to its representations. Not what
I expected, but better than nothing.
Now the problem. This is the seventh
week since the board was sent in. The
local Heathkit center doesn't know when
it will be returned. They somewhat apol-
ogetically offer assurances that they will
call as soon as it comes back.
My concern is that I have paid Heath
close to $4000 for hardware and software.
To date, it has been sitting on the shelf.
If there should be a second problem, will
452 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
that take another two or three months or
longer? When they say "We won't let you
fail," do they really mean that if you make
a mistake, it will probably be several
months before you can use your com-
puter?
What about maintenance? I bought the
computer because I have a real need for
its use. If it breaks, do I look forward to
a two- or three-month delay for Heath to
provide repairs? If so, how do I produce
my letters, documents, manuals, mailing
lists, etc? What happens to accounts re-
ceivable, accounts payable, etc? Do I go
back to a manual system?
At this point I have serious concerns
about the wisdom of my purchase. The
implied support does not seem to be as
represented.
I also have serious concerns about inex-
perienced people who attempt to as-
semble one of these. Quite often the as-
sembly instructions leave a great deal to
the imagination. In my opinion, no one
should attempt one of these without a
basic understanding of electronics, some
degree of manual dexterity, and consider-
able experience assembling and soldering
boards. Unless, of course, he is willing to
pay the extra charges and put up with the
extended delays which seem to be part
of the "We won't let you fail" assurances
from Heath.
Richard J. Townsend
35 Charles Hill Circle
Orinda, CA 94563
Yours is about the worst horror story I've
ever heard about Heathkit. Most of my cor-
respondents have been very pleased with the
H-100, finding it simple to build and get run-
ning; and I've never before heard of so long
a delay in getting service.
I do agree: you must be very careful about
soldering. It's easier than you know to wreck
one of those multilayer circuit boards. (I recall
when Jim Hudson modified my Compupro
8085/8088 board to change the crystal; he was
not only very careful, but he was worried
about changing it back when the time came.)
I'd advise anyone contemplating construc-
tion of something as complex as an H-100 to
buy a really good temperature-controlled
soldering iron, and also one of those patented
unsoldering devices. The two will cost nearly
a hundred dollars, but it's good insurance.
Incidentally, all the Heath/Zenith stores use
Heath and Zenith machines to record and re-
port the sales, so the company obviously has
some confidence in the machines. . . . Jerry
Otrona Obstacle
Dear Jerry,
The last two paragraphs in "Ulterior
Motives, Lobo, Buying Your First Com-
puter, JRT Update" (May, page 298)
caught my attention. As you may know,
there are a significant number of Otrona
Attache machines and users (as well as
fellow enthusiasts) here at the lab. How-
ever, I have not been able to find anyone
who can make the BIOS digest what
ought to be valid "9" entries in the
Otrona Attache's escape sequences. For
example, try to plot a point at (x,y) = (9,9)
from the keyboard or assembly-language
calls with ~[0~ATA~I or from MBASIC
with PRINT CHR$(27); "00909". In con-
trast, the user-friendly MBASIC plotting
enhancements work without a glitch. Un-
fortunately, I need to run FORTRAN (F80,
M80, and L80). The enclosed list is not ex-
haustive since I also suspect the alternate
lead-in" [V command. The use of more
offsets might help some escape com-
mands but others require parameters
with a range from to 255.
Would any of your friendly wizards
(hackers or consultants) happen to have
a general idiot-proof patch around this
turkey? Several sources indicate that the
problem relates to the interface with
CP/M's Tab function. I would appreciate
any advice on this matter (or especially
a cookbook solution).
Glenn Veeder
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
4800 Oak Grove Dr.
Pasadena, CA 91103
Alas, you have exceeded my competence; but
perhaps one of the readers will have a solu-
tion to your problem. I know of at least one
Nobel physicist who has an Otrona, and who
greatly enjoys playing about with its insides,
as well as a number of computer professionals.
You may also want to contact FAUG, The First
Attache Users Group at 449V2 Douglass St.,
San Francisco, CA 94114, or call (415)
647-8160. . . . Jerry
Move That Key!
Dear Jerry,
Regarding "Epson QX-10, Zenith Z-29,
CP/M-68K, and More" (August, page
434), I have purchased the Z-29 terminal
and like it. However, note the terrible
placement of the Reset/Break key— right
amongst several oft-used keys. If the
Break does anything at all in a system, it
does something drastic. I had to modify
my BIOS to keep my system from going
catatonic on Break. Heath/Zenith ought
to move that key. You'd think everyone
would have learned by now about place-
ment of Break keys.
When is one of your generous friends
going to put together a technically
oriented word-processing system— one
that will do special symbols (math, Greek,
etc.), superscripts and subscripts, and the
like, with a screen display that looks like
the printed result? Epson is coming close.
Why are the Japanese ahead of us again?
All the printer and screen-display tech-
nology exists. Why can't it be put to-
gether? Or do I have to program it myself?
H. Bradford Thompson
The University of Toledo
2801 West Bancroft St.
Toledo, OH 43606
Fortunately, you must do Control-Reset for
the Reset key to do anything. I do agree that
was a silly place to put it. I've never had any
trouble with the Break key, but, as you men-
tion, you can always jigger the CBIOS (Cus-
tomized Basic Input/Output System) to take
care of it; indeed, you can retranslate the key
if you really want to.
The Zenith Z-100 with the MPI 150G
printer can do what you want; that is, the
printer can print exactly what's on the screen.
Of course, programming the special character
set you want can be a problem. A good matrix
printer, like the MPI, in conjunction with the
Otrona Attache does wonders too; the Attache
has Greek letters and various mathematical
symbols built into its secondary character set.
Meanwhile, it's the Europeans who are
really ahead. Niklaus Wirth's Lilith computer
(available with laser printer in the U.S. from
Diser Corporation for about $30,000) can do
all you ask for and a lot more besides; and with
Modula-2 systems becoming available pretty
inexpensively here, you should be able to pro-
gram what you want for any good 8086 and
high-quality dot-matrix printer. Let me know
when you get it done. . . .
Seriously, you raise an important point.
Why hasn't a U.S. company put it all to-
gether? Or have they, and I haven't seen it
yet? . . . Jerry
I'll Take Your Epson
Dear Jerry,
According to your response to Chris
Rutkowski's letter in BYTE's User to User
(September, page 480), your Epson QX-10
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 453
programmers
READ THIS
WHO TO SELL YOUR PROGRAMS TO |
THOUSANDS OF COMPANY NAMES AND ADDRESSES,'
WITH DETAILED LISTINGS SHOWING:
(1) WHAT PROGRAMS PUBLISHERS ARE LOOKING FOR
(2) HOW THEY WANT YOU TO SUBMIT YOUR PROGRAM
(3) HOW MUCH THEY PAY — AND WHEN!
100 CATEGORIES — FROM "ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE"^
TO "GAMES" TO "VIDEO CONTROL" PROGRAMS
HOW TO WRITE CLEAR DOCUMENTATION
Orders Shipped
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DEBUGGING TECHNIQUES
Enclose check or money order
for $19,95 fNo C.O.D.'sJ to:
IPF Publications
146 Country Club Lane
Pomona, NY 10970
(914) 354-5585
Name
Address
City State.
Zip.
454 BYTE January 1984
Circle 461 on inquiry card.
BYTE's User to User —
has been pretty much abandoned. I
would like to suggest that you pack it up
and send it to me! As a computer novice,
1 am not a fast typist, nor am I experi-
enced with fast, powerful systems like the
ones you routinely deal with. I feel the
QX-10 is a great little machine, but have
been unable to fund its purchase.
When I read of your ongoing disillusion
with your Epson, going from one associ-
ate to another only to be abandoned by
one and all, I thought I would at least
write you this letter, to let you know that
a home for orphan computers can be
found. It would be well treated and much
appreciated in our home.
It may be that many of the inherent
problems with regard to operating sys-
tems will eventually become a great nui-
sance to us as we become more skilled in
computers, and we may be financially
able to move to a new and better S-100
system. If so, I promise to pass the Ep-
son on to someone at no cost. We could
be starting a great tradition here.
Jim Ralph
987 lovers Lane
Akron, OH 44306
I guess I'd better explain what happens to
review equipment here. None of it ever belongs
to. me. Some of it gets kept so long that it's
functionally useless before we get through with
it. This is often true of prototype equipment.
Some is returned to the supplier. (The less we
like it, the faster it goes back.) Some, at the
request of the supplier, is donated to educa-
tional nonprofit institutions (and I have a long
list of eligibles, so there's no point in apply-
ing for your favorite; sorry).
As for the Epson, we're not at all through
with it. It's a nifty machine, and they're
developing software worthy of it. As Professor
Thompson points out in the preceding letter,
there's nothing in the microcomputer world
that comes closer to integrating screen and
printout graphics. If we were truly unhappy
with the QX-10, wdd have sent it back long
ago. . . . Jerry
Choosing a Terminal
Dear Jerry,
I have been following your trials and
tribulations relating to finding the perfect
terminal and your choice of a Z-29 is a
good one. I borrowed one from my "mad"
furloughed friend and attached it to my
North Star Horizon.
I am also in the market for a new ter-
minal to replace my 7-year-old ACT-V. I
want high-resolution graphics capabili-
ties, so I have been leaning toward the
Visual 500. The Visual terminals seem to
be very well designed and I especially like
the extra-thin keyboard and choice of 12-
or 14-inch screens. The Visual 50 is more
in the league of the Z-29 as far as emula-
tion and price (less than $600 from some
distributors). Have you ever considered
the Visual terminals and, if so, what
caused you to choose the Z-29 over them?
I know that you have used solid-state
disk drives and are pleased with their
performance. I would like to obtain one,
but the price has prevented me. Have you
ever tried a less expensive drive? One is
sold by Digital Research Computers, $399
for a 256K kit, or less than half the price
of the newly reduced Semidisk at $995.
James A. Whitman
Rt. #1 Box 408
Ft. Ashby, WV 26719
I seem to be batting zero. I've no experience
with . the Visual 500. As to how I chose the
Z-29, I blush to confess that Zenith asked me
to. There was a time when I could by out most
of the new micro equipment; now that's not
possible. I try to keep up by going to shows
and reading the literature, but it's still pretty
overwhelming.
Building kits is not my particular bag. I
gather that if you're of a patient temperament,
and willing to invest in a good temperature-
controlled soldering iron, you can save a lot
of money. There was a time when the best
micro equipment was built from kits. My late
friend Ezekial, who happened to be a Z80, was
built up from kits (although not by me), be-
cause Tony Pietsch was more confident of his
quality-control procedures than those of the
company who made Zeke.
Nowadays, though, there's a lot of well-
made equipment out there. Years ago, I once
proposed building my own terminal so that
I would understand what was in it. My mad
friend put it succinctly: "Sounds like about
as much fun as an appendectomy!' Thus, I can
sympathize with your desire to save money,
but I won't be the one to recommend that you
turn to kits. Perhaps another reader will have
a comment. . . . Jerry
Protecting Pac-Man
Dear Jerry,
Hello from down-under (personally, I
don't like that term . . . unless you like
being called up-over).
In "The User Goes to the Faire" (June,
page 306), you mentioned your participa-
tion in the Star Wars vs. Battles tar Galac-
tica dispute and the question arose of
what constitutes an idea worthy of pro-
tection. Taking the Pac-Man example,
surely the essential ingredient of this
game is the theme of a player navigating
a maze and consuming power pods. The
shape of the Pac-Man or the nature of the
power pods is irrelevant to the underly-
ing theme of the game. Thus there are
two views one could take.
First, the people who originally con-
ceived the Pac-Man theme, Atari, should
have sole and complete rights to its im-
plementations. The public would have to
rely on Atari to produce the different ver-
sions of this popular game, or just put up
with the standard format. Intrepid pro-
grammers could of course write their own
versions, as long as they'd recognize
Atari's claim to part or all of any profits
gained. Second, all ideas are unique (and
not just one of genre) . This would mean
that the slightest difference in the shape
of the Pac-Man would constitute a new
idea. The public reaction to the multitude
of different games resulting from this
policy would indicate who had the best
idea. This policy allows constant improve-
ment of existing merchandise and a good
climate for the small business.
I only offer these as possibilities for the
resolution of a persistent problem, and do
not make a judgment as to their quality,
I do however feel strongly that the pres-
ent situation, by which many Pac-Man
games are legal but some, which most
resemble the original, are sued, is totally
unjust and impractical.
Brett A. Patterson
26 Athlone Rd.
Floreat, 6014,
Perth
Western Australia
I'm not sure what I think about protecting
Pac-Man. I do know that Atari bought itself
about a million dollars worth of unfavorable
publicity by bullying some very nice teen-aged
programmers; surely they could have been
smoother about it. Game fads don't last long
anyway. I notice that what really gets 'em in
the arcades now are the games coupled to video
disks; these, I fear, are not soon likely to be
produced in garages, although I wish they
were. I've yet to get close enough to a machine
to play Dragon's Lair. . . . Jerry
A Vote for Larger Screens
Dear Jerry,
After a year's reading and research we
decided to buy either two Kaypro ll's or
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 455
BYTEs User to User.
a NEC APC; we will probably buy the
two Kaypros on the theory that if one
goes down we have a spare, for the price
of one more-advanced computer.
Despite all the amazing progress in
computers, and despite the much adver-
tised and vaunted spreadsheets, com-
puters still only show a miserable 24 lines
by 80 columns. How silly!
Like every business we use an 8V2- by
11-inch sheet for most paperwork. We
print booklets, and have been composing
them on the typewriter as we write them.
All computer salesmen say that it is bet-
ter to be limited to the small-sized screen,
but we don't believe it. We need to view
the finished page so that we can see para-
graphs in relationship to each other and
to see if our ideas are presented correctly
on the whole page.
If we had the money we could get a
Vydec which shows two full pages, or a
Dictaphone which shows one full page
with an additional lighted line as is on our
Olivetti ET221, or we could go to a Cor-
vus Concept computer, but even that is
too high for our budget. The Corvus is
the way that the future lies, of course. It
puts the CRT on its side for spreadsheet
(a 14-inch screen) and on edge for a full
page of typing. Why can't some of the
other computers do this too at a reason-
able price? It can't be too difficult and it
is ridiculous to have all these fabulous ad-
vances with such a small screen. That is
like having a 1983 car that you have to
hand-crank!
S. E. Millar
POB 1
Olympia, WA 98507
J fondly remember Olympia; my wife used
to race sports cars at Shelton, Washington,
and we'd stop for the lumberjack's breakfast on
the way.
Tony Pietsch has always said that the best
service policy is another compute?; preferably
identical to your first. It's not much more
costly than a long-term maintenance contract,
and certainly more useful as long as both are
running.
I keep hearing rumors of terminals that will
give a great many lines to the page, but I've
never had one to play with and, to tell the
truth, I've never missed that feature.
I've never had much problem with screen
sizes. A standard manuscript page is 60 char-
acters wide, and double-spaced I used to get
only 26 lines to the page anyway. In fact, I
normally write on a memory-mapped screen
that's only 16 lines. My editors tell me it im-
proves my stuff since I don't tend to write such
long paragraphs. (Of course I use Write, which
uses all the screen lines for text; none are taken
up with status lines and things like that.)
I suspect you won't have to wait long before
new, low-cost terminals appear with the fea-
tures you want. Things flow so in micro-
land! . . . Jerry
MS-DOS for the Compupro
Dear Jerry,
I have been anxiously awaiting an issue
of BYTE in which you review the MS-
DOS operating system for the Compupro
ever since I followed your eminent logic
and purchased a Compupro System 8/16
Model A in December of 1982. Before tak-
ing the plunge I did check to find out if
MS-DOS was available for the Compupro
because I was aware that there was a
growing threat from the IBM PC and PC-
DOS. I had a hint from two independent
sources in BYTE that MS-DOS was avail-
able for the Compupro systems. One was
a series of articles in BYTE comparing
MS-DOS and CP/M-86, written by Roger
Taylor and Phil Lemmons ("Upward
Migration, Part 1: Translators," June 1982,
page 321 and "Upward Migration, Part 2:
A Comparison of CP/M-86 and MS-
DOS," July 1982, page 330). Careful ex-
amination of their articles revealed that
the benchmarks were run on Compupro
equipment. The other source was a
What's New? product blurb in BYTE
which stated that Lifeboat Associates
would be releasing SB-86 for Compupro
systems. I called Compupro and was told:
yes, Real Soon Now.
I have since called Lifeboat and the per-
son who configured SB-86 for the Com-
pupro systems has left without docu-
menting the implementation. Yes, as a
service, Lifeboat will sell you SB-86 for
Compupro but it is not documented and
you are pretty much on your own.
Fortunately, I have also discovered two
other possible sources. One is Midwest
Micro Warehouse which claims to have a
product written by people at Compuview
Products. Another source is a Computer
House product aptly named MS-PRO.
In "Eagles, Text Editors, New Com-
pilers, and Much More" (September, page
307), you indicated that you and/or your
associates have experience with MS-
DOS/PC-DOS for the Compupro. (I
should point out that I am not sure what
the exact differences between MS-DOS
and PC-DOS are.) I am particularly in-
terested in the logical and/or functional
(as opposed to physical and/or im-
plementation) equivalent of PC-DOS. I
recognize that this may be a very difficult
if not an impossible equivalency to
achieve, thus I use the term MS-DOS as
a minimal requirement. I would ap-
preciate any additional information or
recommendations you may have regard-
ing MS-DOS for the Compupro 8/16 sys-
tems.
Chris Boynton
9500 Southwest 94 Court
Miami, FL 33176
J may have misled you, and if so, my apol-
ogies. Tony Pietsch has managed to get PC-
DOS, the operating system for the IBM Per-
sonal Computer, to boot from a 5 1 A-inch disk
run by a Compupro 8085/8088 Dual Pro-
cessor. The Dual Processor normally boots
from 8-inch disks, and runs Digital Research's
CP/M 2.2 when in an 8-bit mode (using the
8085) and CP/M-86 when in 16-bit mode. (At
least mine does.)
There are no real differences between PC-
DOS and MS-DOS, except that PC-DOS is
specifically tailored for the IBM PC, while
MS-DOS is a generic term for the Microsoft
operating system for the 8086/8088 family of
computer chips.
Alas, although Tony managed to get PC-
DOS to work on his Dual Processor (and in-
deed was using my disk controller and disks
when he did it), he then went off to Europe
for a month; as of this moment (October 1),
he hasn't returned, and I don't have that
operating.
It's quite possible that what you request will
be available by the time this gets in print, but
I can't guarantee it. Meanwhile, I have no ex-
perience with the other versions you men-
tioned.
Given the three- to four-month delay be-
tween my writing and BYTE's publication, it's
always a problem as to just how much brand-
new stuff I report. This time, I was a bit eager.
Sorry. . . . Jerry
Assembly vs. Machine
Language
Dear Jerry,
Most of the things you have written for
BYTE have been so well informed that I
was rather surprised to see your remarks
about assembly language in "Eagles, Text
Editors, New Compilers, and Much
More" (September, page 307).
You say that assembly language is a
fairly large step up from machine lan-
guage. While fairly large is a matter of
456 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
opinion, it seems to me that because of
a one-to-one correspondence between as-
sembly codes and machine instructions,
they are in fact different forms of the same
language. The only difference is that the
assembler mnemonics can be easily re-
membered by humans and easily con-
verted to their machine form by an as-
sembler. It is, in fact, child's play to trans-
late a program from one to the other be-
cause of the one to one.
Machine language programs are trans-
portable; all Z80 or other microprocessors
obey the same set of machine instruc-
tions. The transportability problem arises
only when the program is incomplete and
relies on subroutines from the host com-
puter, subroutines that might be at a
different address in another computer or
even missing from it. Of course there is
the BIOS problem; trivial really.
Your statement that some computers
don't have an accumulator floors me. Is
your hardware knowledge so limited that
you think any digital computer could
operate without at least one accumulator?
ENIAC had a dozen or more accumula-
tors (20 if memory serves me) and al-
though the von Neumann scheme cut
back to one, that one has remained essen-
tial to digital computing. It was called the
Mill by Babbage because that is where the
work was done. The rest is just moving
bits from keyboard to accumulator and to
screen or from accumulator to screen,
printer, storage, or modem. Perhaps,
though, you have been misled by the
term CPU, which has the accumulator as
a vital part. Ask your friend Mr. Leven-
thal about it.
David Block
POB 12473
Gainesville, FL 32604
Assembly language is a hefty step up from
machine language for me! I wish we'd had a
good assembler for the IBM 360 I started
with. . . .
I think you've foundered over a definition.
While it's true that all computers (at least all
I've ever worked with) have something that
functions like an accumulator, some have a
particular register dedicated only to that task,
and some don't; which was all I meant by my
remark that some "don't have an accumula-
tor." . . . Jerry
Unix Notes from All Over
Dear Jerry,
In BYTE's User to User (September,
page 480) James E. Densmore Jr. laments
the lack of an ability to suspend execu-
tion of one program while running an-
other under the Unix operating system.
He is quite in error.
Any single-tasking system can accom-
plish this by saving an image of the reg-
ister, memory space, and associated files.
On a multitasking system such as Unix,
the implementation is trivial: one mere-
ly suspends operation of one process
upon a prearranged signal and continues
with a second process which may or may
not be running already. With newer ver-
sions of Unix supporting the Berkeley C-
shell, one need merely type a control
character to interrupt any process in the
foreground. At the user's wish, the pro-
cess may be killed, restarted, or relegated
to a lower priority (background process-
ing). Meanwhile, one can proceed with
additional process(es).
Furthermore, the command interpreta-
tion procedure and recursive features
mentioned by this reader have existed on
Unix from its very early days.
Donn S. Fishbein, MD
4000 Tunlaw Rd. NW 820
Washington, DC 20007
My late mad friend was interested in Unix,
but so far I don't have any machines that run
it. I expect that will soon change. Meanwhile,
I can collect stories. Thanks. . . . Jerry
Dear Jerry,
I would like to clear up a misconcep-
tion on the part of James Densmore about
Unix. He states that while MULTICS
allows virtually infinite recursion in call-
ing "command procedures/' Unix does
not. Well, UNIX does implement the con-
cept of "forking," which allows other pro-
cesses to be generated concurrently with
the generating process. These processes
can be any executable file, usually a com-
piled C program.
While infinite recursion is not feasible
(a small limit, on the order of 8, is placed
on the number of subprocesses running
at once), it is very rarely used. Indeed,
since C is completely recursive, most re-
cursive tasks can be done within the com-
mand module (arguably where recursion
belongs). As a final note, shell scripts (i.e.,
command files) are recursive. Since these
have flow-control instructions available,
they function much like procedures.
Finally, a question on Concurrent
CP/M-86. If it can run more than one pro-
gram at once, how does it prevent one
from corrupting the other? The IBM PC,
an 8086-like system, does not implement
memory protection. Nor is memory map-
ping/vectoring facilitated; so how are pro-
grams relinked to function in different
sections of memory? Finally, how does
CP/M-86 compare with Unix's piping and
redirection capabilities?
These are important questions since
they directly affect the usability of an
operating system like CP/M-86. While I
can guess at methods by which a multi-
ple-process operating system can function
on a machine like the IBM PC (extensive
swapping, instruction interpretation),
none are acceptable. So, how does Con-
current CP/M work? As a systems pro-
grammer, I sure would like to know.
Michael Kilian
1869 Highland Ave.
Troy, NY 12180
I'll let others fight about Unix. Regarding
Concurrent CP/M-86, I'm trying to do a good
bit of a column about it. Alas, it's complicated
by IBM: after three months they still haven't
delivered the PC I paid for (by certified
check, yet)! Until I've got that, I can't do much
with Concurrent. Surely by the time you read
this I'll have it. . . . Jerry
Dear Jerry,
In BYTE's User to User (September,
page 480), James E. Densmore Jr. notes
that MUI TICS allows the user to interrupt
a program being executed and return to
it later, while Unix does not. This is not
quite true, as the version of Unix for the
VAX (distributed as version 4.1 Unix in
the Berkeley "bsd" release) contains such
a feature.
The implementation is nothing like the
one used by MULTICS, of course. In-
stead, it takes advantage of the fact that
Unix, like any multiprocessing system,
has a way to checkpoint a process while
other processes run. It simply defines a
keyboard interrupt that forces the cur-
rently running process into that check-
pointed state and returns control to the
user's command-line interpreter (shell),
using the existing signal facility. Provide
a way to restart the stopped process from
the shell, and you're done.
Considering that many prospective
Unix system developers (and customers)
are familiar with Berkeley Unix, that the
feature is obviously desirable, and that it
is not really very difficult to add the nec-
essary process states and system calls to
a "vanilla" Unix system during develop-
ment, I should be surprised if this feature
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 457
BYTEs User to User
did not become standard in Unix systems,
and if not tomorrow then soon.
Richard Hussong
Applied Reasoning Corporation
77 Trowbridge St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
They tell me that "vanilla" Unix is un-
usable by novices; and though Unix is easy
to customize, once you've done that, there's
no standard way things are done, and you're
sort of on your own remembering your cus-
tomizations.
Perhaps what it needs is some "standard
customization?" . . . JerryB
Praise for the Final Word
Dear Jerry,
In "Eagles, Text Editors, New Com-
pilers, and Much More" (September, page
307), you made an apparently unin-
formed comment about a program I truly
love: the Final Word word processor from
Mark of the Unicorn. Not only will the
Final Word format end notes automatical-
ly, it will do footnotes or in-line notes. It
will automatically create and format tables
of contents and indices too! It can make
all kinds of lists, like file inclusion (Word-
star needs the Mailmerge option) and
keyboard input during formatting. In this
instance, the formatter will prompt you
if needed, and you just type in the stuff
you want included. It will format style
changes at any point so that you can
change things like margins, indentation,
justification, paper size, note style, line
spacing, and tab spacing any place in the
file.
And besides the terrific formatter, the
editor itself is nicer. It displays text faster.
You can have up to 12 editing buffers
available at once. Parts of two of those
buffers can be displayed at once (this is
incredibly handy). A feature called State
Save saves changes after you stop typing
for a few seconds. If power goes down
while you are editing, the only material
lost is that which had not been written
out with the State Save. This has saved
me a couple times as my town has an in-
credibly wimpy power system. You can
leave the Final Word to do something
else, then start again, and it will return
to exactly where you left off. You don't
need to read in the same file again. And
commands really are mnemonic.
But, if you don't like something, the
Final Word is almost infinitely configur-
able. You can change the keys that cause
movement, for example. You can even
change the width it uses to print in-
dividual characters if you want. The Final
Word can do true proportional spacing on
printers capable of supporting it, not just
microjustification like Wordstar.
Wanna hear more? The documentation
is really good in my opinion. There are
nine lessons included. Three of the
lessons consist of a disk file containing
the output of the text used to create the
same chapter in the printed documenta-
tion. The manual was created with the
Final Word and, as such, contains a good
table of contents and index.
The Final Word can do anything Word-
star does except suggest hyphenation. It
costs less and has capabilities that you
have to spend hundreds of dollars more
for with Wordstar. I haven't covered half
of them.
Also, support from Mark of the Uni-
corn is very good.
David D. Clark
246 South Fraser St. #2
State College, PA 16801
Yours is not the only enthusiastic letter I've
received regarding the Final Word, and I know
for a fact that Mark of the Unicorn provides
good support to its customers.
I'm fairly set in my preferences for computer
editors— given the tens of thousands of words
I have to pour out each month, it would be
surprising if I weren't— so it's unlikely that
III make many changes. However, shortly after
I began writing with computers, I discovered
Electric Pencil. The program I use now, Write,
grew out of the Pencil's strengths and defects.
Not long after I got used to Pencil I became
involved with net traffic and, working with
machines at MIT, I ran into EM ACS. If it had
been the first full-screen editor I'd worked
with, I might well have become an EMACS
enthusiast.
The Final Word, like Mark of the Unicorn's
MINCE (Mince Is Not Complete EMACS),
is based on EMACS.
"There are nine and sixty ways of construct-
ing tribal lays, and every single one of them
is right." Editors aren't quite so much a mat-
ter of taste as that, but certainly there's no
single "best" one. Glad you've found one you
like! . . . Jerry
Jerry Pournelle welcomes readers' com-
ments and opinions. Send a self-addressed
envelope to Jerry Pournelle, do BYTE Pub-
lications, POB 372, Hancock, NH 03449.
Please put your address on the letter as
well as on the envelope. Due to the high
volume of letters, Jerry cannot guarantee
a personal reply.
We have met or have beaten most advertised prices.
Don't be foolish. Buy Direct!
For Price Quotes and Ordering Call:
1-800-328-8905
For Technical Information and
Arizona Orders, Call:
602-949-8218
For Shipping and Order Status Information,
Call: 602-990-7556
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458 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 499 on inquiry card.
Ask BYTE
Conducted by Steve Garcia
Getting Started
Dear Steve,
I am a beginner in the com-
puter field. I hope to either buy
a computer that teaches the de-
sign principles of computers or
to design a computer of my own.
Because I live in the United
Kingdom, I have found it very
difficult to find one. I was won-
dering if you might be able to
help me. Are there any com-
puters for sale in the U.S. that
are good for beginners and are
not too expensive?
I have seen two computers:
the Ferguson Big Board and the
Insight Enterprises compute?'.
Would either of these be a good
introduction to computer design
and expandable enough later on?
The Big Board doesn't seem to
be. I have not been able to read
any reports on these computers,
though, and thus am skeptical
about buying them. I would ap-
preciate your comments very
much.
Edward Newman
Sherborne, Dorset
United Kingdom
This is an excellent time for a
beginner to enter the computer
field as there are many low-cost,
high-performance models from
which to choose. One of the fast-
est sellers in this country is the
Commodore 64. It features 64K
bytes of memory, high-resolution
graphics, a full keyboard, and a
price as low as $200. A reference
manual is available that
describes the inner workings and
advanced programming tech-
niques.
The Radio Shack Color Com-
puter is another low-cost model
with the powerful 6809 micro-
processor chip. It is well sup-
ported as evidenced by at least
four magazines devoted exclu-
sively to the "CoCo!'
The two models mentioned are
only representative of the vast
number that are available. These
models allow you to take the unit
out of the box, add a TV or
monitor', and start computing. If
you want to configure your own
system from one of the single-
board units you mentioned, rec-
ognize that considerable addi-
tional equipment is required.
Most require a terminal, power
supply, and disk drives to func-
tion at all.
If you are a beginner, I would
recommend buying one of the
just-mentioned ready-made com-
puters. As your knowledge in-
creases, you will recognize the
features that are important to
you and those that are unneces-
sary. . . . Steve
Videodisc Interaction
Dear Steve,
I enjoyed your June 1982 ar-
ticle, "Build an Interactive-
Videodisc Controller" (page 60).
I, too, am very enthusiastic
about the future potential of this
technology.
Due to my lack of knowledge
about electronic hardware and
limited funds, I was unsuccess-
ful in creating the coding neces-
sary to control the Pioneer VP-
1000. I thought that if I were
successful, the software could be
applied universally and interac-
tive programming would not be
dependent on the type of hard-
ware interface a person owned.
I think the problem is that the
Vic-20 I own is not capable of
creating a 38-kHz tone. The
Vic-20 has a 6502 micropro-
cessor and a 6522 versatile in-
terface adapter. It has a 1-MHz
clock rate that allows 1 micro-
second ((is) per cycle. Therefore,
I can get only 13 (is instead of
the necessary 13.15, creating a
38.4-kHz tone. Evidently, the
carrier frequency must be exact
for the VP-1000 to recognize the
command.
I have a question about your
article: in figure 2a, and in the
text on page 65, it is indicated
Jhat the pulse burst is 0.263
milliseconds (ms) long and is in-
cluded in the bit period. How-
ever, in figure 6 you indicate that
the pulse burst occurs, and after-
ward there is a delay of 1.05 or
2.1 ms, depending on the logic
code. It appears to me that for a
logic=0 the first delay should be
1.05 ms minus 0.263 ms, or
0.787 ms. I have tested these and
many other possible delay times,
so I conclude that the problem
is with the 38.4-kHz carrier fre-
quency. Also, in a January 1982
article in Microcomputing
(page 103, figure 3), it is in-
dicated that the pulse burst is
0.233 ms long and delay times
are 0.93 and 1.86 ms. Was this
a mistake, or has Pioneer
changed things in newer
models?
Assuming that it is impossible
for me to create the necessary
coding due to the limitation of
the 1-MHz clock rate, I am forced
to resort to a hardware interface.
Do you think that the 38-kHz
crystal (Pioneer part number
VSS-002) can be purchased and
used as an external clock to con-
trol the necessary 38-kHz carrier
frequency? Any ideas on how
this might be accomplished
would be appreciated.
Thank you for your considera-
tion and any help you may be
able to offer to help me create a
low-cost universal VP-1000 con-
troller.
Gary W. Schroeder
San Francisco, CA
The logic as stated in my ar-
ticle is correct. The bit period is
defined as the time between the
pulses; the length of the pulse
itself is not significant for the
coding. The carrier frequency is
used for detection.
The article in the January
1982 Microcomputing used
the code values as supplied by
Pioneer, which were incorrect. I
discovered this when I designed
my circuit, and I brought it to
Pioneer's attention.
Generating the necessary cod-
ing in software is extremely dif-
ficult. It is even more difficult to
write a universal program since
it is so dependent on machine
timing. It is much easier to use
some form of hardware assist-
ance. The simplest is the 555
oscillator to generate the 38-kHz
pulses and gate them under soft-
ware control. If your hardware
knowledge is limited, go with the
circuit on page 72 of my article.
It needs only 5 volts and is ex-
tremely easy to build. . . . Steve
Adding CP/M and
Apples
Dear Steve,
I have an Apple II Plus with
48K bytes, two disk drives, and
a 16K-byte RAM card. I would
like to use it for CP/M. What ad-
ditional hardware do I need?
What is the difference between a
Z80 card and Microsoft's Soft-
card? Do I need both? Thank
you.
Jim Fox
Peckville, PA
To run CP/M on your Apple
II Plus, you need a card that
contains a Z80 processor chip.
Many such cards are on the
market at various prices. The
cheaper ones do not come with
the CP/M operating system. The
softcard is Microsoft's version of
a Z80 card and includes the
CP/M operating system with
several utilities and Microsoft
BASIC.
Many of the programs that
run under CP/M require an
80-column screen and upper-
case/lowercase capability. An
80-column card should also be
purchased to fully utilize the
system.
Make sure that your CP/M
card is compatible with your
16K-byte RAM card and your
80-column card. Most cards are
fully compatible, but some are
not. Be sure to ask Steve
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 459
Ask BYTE
Interpreting
Information
Dear Steve,
Can you recommend a source
of information on the details of
BASIC interpreter operation? It
doesn't matter to me which
microprocessor is used. I'm just
looking for the fundamentals.
Thank you.
Jorge S. Lucas
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
In the early days of microcom-
puters, at least one publication
featured a series of articles on the
workings of BASIC interpreters.
There were listings of some Tiny
BASIC interpreters for an 8080-
based system, and general opera-
tion was discussed. They are
contained in volume 1 of Dr.
Dobb's Journal of Computer
Calisthenics & Orthodontia
(Dr. Dobb's, for short) and can
be obtained from Hay den Book
Company Inc., 50 Essex St.,
Rochelle Park, N] 07662. . . .
Steve
BASIC Precision
Dear Steve,
I have a suggestion and a
question: how about an article
on building a switching-regulator
power supply using power
MOSFETfor the S-100 bus? I'm
enclosing a copy of an article
frvm Electronic Design (Febru-
ary 17, 1983, page 135). This
would cut down on the heat dis-
sipated both on the boards and
in the enclosure and also con-
serve on energy.
I am doing a lot of work with
the NBS (National Bureau of
Standards) Temperature Tables.
This work involves the use of
polynomials and requires 54-bit
accuracy to duplicate the results
from the tables. My Polymorphic
Systems 8813 BASIC has the
ability to use up to 26-digit pre-
cision, which appears to be good
enough for the job. The com-
puter I use at work is an Altos
8500 running under CP/M and
Microsoft BASIC. The Microsoft
BASIC does not have the re-
quired precision.
My question is this: can some-
one suggest a method for evalu-
ating the precision of various
BASICs, or does someone know
of a CP/M BASIC that will have
the desired precision?
Joseph R. Toman
Skokie, IL
Thank you very much for
your suggestion. I have ad-
dressed this subject on a smaller
scale in the November 1981
BYTE (page 36) but will keep
your idea open for a future
article.
Regarding the question of pre-
cision of various BASICs, it
seems to me that you are mix-
ing "bits" and "digits." For ex-
ample, Microsoft BASIC has a
real data precision of 7+ signifi-
cant digits and is represented in
the computer in a 4-byte, float-
ing-point form. Of these 4 bytes,
1 represents the characteristic
and 3 represent the mantissa.
Thus, there are 3 bytes, or 24
bits, of precision allocated to the
mantissa.
If double precision is used, 16
digits of precision are obtained,
and the representation is 8 bytes,
1 of which is allocated to the
characteristic. The remaining 7
bytes (56 bits) apply to the man-
tissa.
Hence, 16 digits of precision
corresponds to 56 bits of ac-
curacy. This seems more than
adequate for the NBS tables to
which you referred. To evaluate
other BASICs, the storage for-
mat and the byte representation
of the numbers must be known.
. . . Steve
Authorl Authorl
Dear Steve,
I would like to start writing
articles for computer magazines.
I have a bachelor's degree in
computer science and math,
along with eight years of experi-
ence in the computer field. I love
microcomputers. I would appre-
ciate any help you could give me.
Thanks.
Joseph M. Ruvolu
Staten Island, NY
Writing articles for computer
magazines, or any magazine for
that matter, requires a subject
that is appealing to a large au-
dience and a certain style of pre-
senting that subject. There are
many computer magazines cater-
ing to different levels, and you
should concentrate on those
where your expertise can be util-
ized. You will have little chance
of publishing a highly technical
article in a magazine such as
Popular Computing, since it
is not aimed at that audience.
One way is to write an article
or two and submit them to po-
tential publishers. You can judge
from their responses whether
you are on the right track.
Take a look at "A Step-by-Step
Guideline Outlines Writing for
Publication" by George R. Dunn
in the October 20, 1980, issue of
EDN magazine. It offers some
good advice for potential writers.
. . . Steve
Apple Emulator
Dear Steve,
I have been told that some
place in the market is a device
that can be used with a Com-
modore 64 that enables it to util-
ize all the available Apple soft-
ware. I think it is called an
"emulator." I have called a num-
ber of computer distributors
without success, and I thought
that you might have come across
this device. If so, I would appre-
ciate your directing me to the ap-
propriate source so that I might
get further information.
Many thanks for your help.
Morton J. Perlin
Miami, FL
The device that will allow the
Commodore 64 to read Apple II
software is called the Amulator
and is manufactured by Ad-
vanced Integrated Development.
The unit sells for $129 and re-
quires you to physically remove
the 6510 microprocessor chip in
the Commodore 64 to piggyback
the Amulator: Once installed,
the unit will read most 40-
column Apple II software but
will not allow wr ting to a disk.
There have been many rumors
of Apple emulators and person-
ality modules for the Commo-
dore 64. In fact, the introductory
articles describing the 64 touted,
as one of its features, the ability
to emulate other popular com-
puters. It seems that this has
finally come to pass.
Further information can be ob-
tained by contacting Advanced
Integrated Development, 5901
John Martin Dr., Brooklyn Cen-
ter, MN 55430, (612) 561-1645.
. . . Steve
Entrepreneurshlp
Dear Steve,
I have developed a plug-in
board that gives (I believe) the
Apple II computer sound capa-
bilities as good as the Commo-
dore 64. I would like to manu-
facture and market it, but I don't
have the resources to do so. For
that reason, I would like to have
a company manufacture it for
me. Can you tell me who might
be interested in manufacturing it
for me or how to go about find-
ing someone who would?
Mark E. Rogers
La Place, LA
Yours is a problem shared by
many budding entrepreneurs.
You will find that engineering a
prototype board represents only
about 10 percent of the time and
money involved to bring the
final product to market. With
advertising in magazines as high
as $8000 per page per month, it
is no wonder that few have the
resources to complete such proj-
ects.
Having another company
manufacture your board is a
logical approach, but don't ex-
pect to get rich. Stop and think
460 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
what the board could reasonably
sell for and then determine the
wholesale cost to the dealer (40
to 50 percent of list price). Then
estimate the cost and profit of the
manufacturing house, add in ad-
vertising and promotions, and
the remainder may be yours.
Approach some of the houses
currently making cards for the
Apple II to determine their in-
terest. Then see if any of the
offers are satisfactory. . . . Steve
Photon Control
Dear Steve,
I'm interested in controlling
lights with a computer. I want
to memorize and play back pat-
terns of between 5 and 20 lights
activated at different times for
different dwations. What type of
interface device do I need? I'd
prefer to use an inexpensive
Vic-20 if possible. Thanks for
your help.
Randy Maule
Gainesville, FL
The Vic-20 has a 6522 versa-
tile interface adapter chip that
contains eight I/O (input/out-
put) lines. Additional I/O lines
can be added through the use of
an expansion bus. Each line can
be programmed as an input or
output and read simply by ex-
amining (using the PEEK com-
mand) the memory location for
which the chip is mapped. As-
sign one line to each light to be
detected and use a phototran-
sistor to convert the light input
to a 5-volt DC output. It might
be helpful to have one line avail-
able to sense the presence of any
light.
Your program could then poll
the "any light" line to see when
a light has been turned on.
Then, depending on the dura-
tion of the lights to be "memo-
rized," the program could read
these lines at equal intervals and
store the data. This would con-
tinue until the "any light" line
sensed the absence of light.
To simply turn lights on and
off, use an optoisolator and a
relay. The optoisolator consists
of an LED (light -emitting diode)
and a phototransistor. When
your computer I/O line sends a
logic "1" (5 volts DC), the LED
glows and causes the phototran-
sistor to conduct, closing a relay.
. . . Steve
Video for the Sym-1
Dear Steve,
It is very difficult for me to get
literature and components for ex-
perimentation, and I hope you
can spare me a lot of aggravation
and wasted time.
I bought a Sym-1 microcom-
puter and built a power supply
and ASCII keyboard, but I don't
know how to obtain a video out-
put from my TV, which I've
adapted for direct video display.
The Sym's block diagram shows
that some kind of "TV/keyboard
interface" is needed. Can you
help me? Thank you very much.
Tomo Mlinaric
Zagreb, Yugoslavia
A device known as a video-dis-
play board or "TV typewriter"
is required to obtain video out-
put for your Sym-1 computer.
Such a device takes an ASCII in-
put from a keyboard or computer
output and converts it into video
characters that can be displayed
on a TV monitor screen. A con-
struction article appeared in the
February issue of Microcom-
puting (formerly Kilobaud)
magazine on page 70. "Build a
$50 TVT!" by Duane Amund-
son describes a device capable of
displaying 16 lines of 32 char-
acters, using readily obtainable
parts. Its low cost makes it an in-
teresting project. . . . Steve
P.S. See my article this month
for a terminal you can build.
Vic Expansion
Dear Steve,
Is it possible to build an ex-
pansion bus for the Vic-20
similar to that used with the Ap-
ple II? They both use the 6502
microprocessor. If this can be
done, can you tell me where I
can obtain the necessary techni-
cal information? Would function
boards designed for the Apple
then be compatible with the
Vic-20? Thank you for your
help.
Larry W. Snead
Danville, VA
While the Vic-20 and the Ap-
ple II both utilize the 6502
microprocessor chip and both
can have expansion buses, pe-
ripheral cards designed for the
Apple will not work on the Vic.
Aside from different timing con-
siderations on the bus, the Ap-
ple cards have on-board ROM
(read-only memory) that con-
tains programs to control their
functions. These programs call
routines that are either not
available or are located in dif-
ferent memory areas in the Vic.
An expansion bus can be made
or purchased for the Vic. See the
back pages of any computer
magazine containing Vic-20 ar-
ticles for advertisements. I re-
cently saw an ad for a 4-slot ex-
pansion bare board for only $19,
including instructions. You may
want to go this route, as it will
save you a lot of wiring. Contact
The Data Toolbox, FOB 4808 V,
Las Vegas, NV 89127, (702)
648-3258. . . . Steve
Assembling a Z80
Dear Steve,
lama senior at Monroe High
School and vice-president of the
Monroe High School Computer
Group, an offshoot from our
computer-science class. After do-
ing some heavy 6502 machine-
language work, we just touched
on the Z80. Recently, I pur-
chased a Timex/ Sinclair 1000
and am looking for a good assem-
bler. I've read several books but
haven't been able to find any
handy subroutines for the Z80
similar to those we used with the
6502. Can you make some rec-
ommendations for a Z80 assem-
bler and subroutines? Thanks for
your help— I enjoy your column.
Jeff Kopmanis
Monroe, MI
Gladstone Electronics carries
a complete line of accessories for
the Timex/ Sinclair 1000 com-
puter. Included are several books
on the internal workings of the
Sinclair (ZX-81) ROM. Two
such books are Understanding
Your ZX-81 ROM by Dr. Logan
and The Explorers Guide to
the ZX-81 by Mike Lord.
Several utility programs, includ-
ing an assembler, machine-code
monitor, and disassembler, are
also available. For further infor-
mation, write or call Gladstone
Electronics, 1585 Kenmore Ave.,
Buffalo, NY 14217, (800) 833-
8400. Ask for a catalog and get
on the company's mailing list.
. . . Steve
Bulletin Boards
Dear Steve,
I have an Apple II Plus and
a Micromodem at home, and I'd
like to use them to get games
from some of the bulletin boards.
Can you direct me to a list of
available bulletin boards and tell
me how to communicate with
them? Thank you.
Matt Wainwright
Brookfield, CT
Computer Shopper, a com-
puter-oriented classified-ad
newspaper, publishes a monthly
listing of bulletin boards around
the country. There are several in
your state and many in sur-
rounding states, so finding one
to your liking should be easy. To
access a bulletin board, it is only
necessary to dial the telephone
number and connect your modem
when you hear the carrier sig-
nal. Some modems connect auto-
matically. Usually, the Return
key is hit once or twice, after
which the system will ask you
some questions about your
equipment. This is necessary so
that it can adapt to your par-
ticular equipment format. A
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 461
Ask BYTE
menu is then presented, and you
can select your choice.
Some form of communications
program is required so that your
system can simulate a terminal.
Some modems come with the re-
quired software. That is all that
is required to enter the world of
bulletin boards. . . . Steve
Kaypro
Word Processing
Dear Steve,
I want to be able to edit docu-
ments that are about 200 single-
spaced, typed pages (600K bytes)
long on a Kaypro II or Kaypro
4. I'd guess that others who use
similarly modest microcom-
puters for word processing might
want to be able to edit documents
that exceed both their machines'
available RAM and the capacity
of one floppy disk. Is there any
economical and practical way of
getting around the RAM and
disk-memory limitations of many
machines without recourse to
the comparatively expensive
solid-state disks or hard disks?
Perfect Writer, with its vir-
tual-memory feature, would
seem to offer one way around
RAM limitations, but this
doesn't solve the problems (e.g.,
in pagination and, therefore, in
index creation) posed by a docu-
ment too large to fit on one flop-
py disk. In addition, as con-
figured for the Kaypro, Perfect
Writer has a limited swap-file
size (not useful for editing more
than 20 pages), and the program
for reconfiguring is not supplied
in the Kaypro software package.
I'd appreciate your help in
finding answers to the questions
I've raised. I know of at least
seven Kaypro owners who are
also seeking answers to them.
David F. Austin
Amherst, MA
Practically speaking, there is
no way short of a hard disk or
RAM disk to handle 200 pages
of text on your Kaypro. The com-
puter must be able to read the
complete data file in order to
operate on it, and this necessi-
tates that it be on line as far as
the program is concerned. Break-
ing the file into several smaller
files is the recommended ap-
proach.. . .Steve
Video Displays
Dear Steve,
For some time now, I have
been trying to acquire informa-
tion on the possibility of provid-
ing an 80-column by 25-line
black-and-white video display for
a TI-99/4A computer used for
word processing. This would
avoid the horizontal scrolling
now necessary.
Is it feasible to acquire an in-
dependent peripheral (monitor)
that will provide this display?
Would it operate through the
RS-232C serial or parallel ports?
Would such a unit be a combina-
tion of a stand-alone video board
and a standard wide-band moni-
tor? Could you suggest an avail-
able unit of modest cost? (Some
of the suggestions have been for
units that by themselves ex-
ceeded the total cost of our
installation.)
Could you alternatively sug-
gest a setup that, with our mod-
est skills, we could put together?
Would the CRT terminal out-
lined in chapter 9 of your book
(Build Your Own Z-80 Com-
puter) do the job? Thank you for
your assistance.
Norman J. Spector
Englewood, FL
Obtaining an 80-column dis-
play on your TI-99/4A is not
simply a matter of adding a
wide-band monitor or terminal.
The video-generation circuits in
the computer itself must be mod-
ified along with the software. I
have seen accessory boards for
computers such as the Vic-20
that allow 80 columns, but they
cost more than twice the price of
the Vic. I am not aware of such
a unit for your TI, but I would
suspect that the cost will be
rather high also. The electronics
on such a card are quite sophisti-
cated and are not recommended
as beginner projects.
The horizontal scrolling that
you have with your word-pro-
cessor program is a simple means
to overcome a shortcoming of the
computer. Remember that the
character width was purposely
reduced to allow the use of an or-
dinary television. If you add an
80-column card, you will also
need a high-resolution monitor
to display the additional charac-
ters. . . . Steve
Andromeda and CP/M
Dear Steve,
About two years ago, I pur-
chased an Andromeda 16K-byte
card for my Apple II, and it has
been working fine with Applesoft
and DOS ever since.
About a month ago I bought
an Advanced Logic Systems
(ALS) Z-Card with CP/M 2.2.
The CP/M from ALS comes con-
figured for 48K bytes of memory,
and ALS supplies a utility pro-
gram to reconfigure for 64K
bytes. But no matter what I
tried, my reconfigured CP/M
would not operate.
I wrote letters to ALS and An-
dromeda asking them what was
wrong. Andromeda replied that
its card won't work with CP/M
version 2.2. The company had
heard of some people "patching"
their boards to make it work but
didn't know what changes were
made. Andromeda suggested
contacting a club or users group.
I contacted A.P.P.L.E. but
haven't had any luck yet.
Do you know how I can
modify my Andromeda card to
work with the CP/M 2.2?
Steve Nelson
Arlington, TX
An article in the August 1983
CALL A.P.P.L.E. may solve
your problem. "Andromeda Ram-
card Patch" by fay H. Lieske
describes the changes to CP/M
BIOS (basic input/output system)
required to utilize the Andromeda
16K-byte card with a 60K-byte
version of CP/M. It may work
with your combination of CP/M
and RAM cards. In any event,
you can see what is necessary to
activate the card Steve
TI-99/4A
Compatibility
Dear Steve,
I own a Texas Instruments
TI-99/4A computer and want to
know if there are any circuits
that will make it compatible with
a Bell-103-type modem and/or a
Heath/ Zenith Z80 microcom-
puter. Thanks for the help.
Jacob E. Dockter
Bismarck, ND
Compatibility between your
TI-99/4A and peripherals and
modems is easily achieved
through the useoftheRS-232C
serial port. This port is obtained
with the Peripheral Expansion
Interface. The EC M-103 ("Build
the ECM-103, an Originate/ An-
swer Modem," BYTE, March
1983, page 26) modem can be
directly connected to this port
and, since it is Bell-103-com-
patible, used to link up to The
Source or other bulletin boards.
The Heath/ Zenith microcom-
puter has a serial port for use
with a terminal. . . . Steve ■
In "Ask BYTE/' Steve Gar-
cia answers questions on
any area of microcom-
puting. The most represen-
tative questions received
each month will be an-
swered and published. Do
you have a nagging prob-
lem? Send your inquiry to:
Ask BYTE
c/o Steve Ciarcia
POB 582
Glastonbury, CT
06033
Due to the high volume
of inquiries, personal re-
plies cannot be given. All
letters and photographs
become the property of
Steve Ciarcia and cannot
be returned. Be sure to in-
clude "Ask BYTE'' in the
address.
462 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
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essary to make the most of your
machine.
574/847 $19.95
LEARNING WITH LOGO By D.
H. Watt
685/703 $14.95
COMPUTER GRAPHICS: A
Programming Approach. By S.
Harrington. 448 pp., 242 illus. Cov-
ering everything from viewing
transformations, parallel projec-
tions, and perspective projection to
line removal, shading, and the
drawing of curves, this introduc-
tion to interactive graphics gives
you hands-on experience.
267/510B $25.95
(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)
THE BUSINESS GUIDE TO
SMALL COMPUTERS By L. Cal
mus
096/627 $19.95
INTRODUCTION TO THE
UCSD p-SYSTEM . By C. W.
Grant and J. Butah. 330 pp., illus.
This book takes you through the
whole process of implementing the
UCSD p-System — and gives you
hands-on programming experience
in Pascal.
582767-0 $24.95
MICROPROCESSOR AND MI-
CROCOMPUTER DATA DI-
GEST. By W. H. Buchsbaum and
G. Weissenberg. 336 pp., 199 dia-
grams. Containing all the detailed
technical data for every micro-
processor integrated circuit
that is currently listed as a "stan-
dard," off-the-shelf item, this book
presents the critical pin configura-
tions, voltages, operating parame-
ters, descriptions of each 1C.
582835-9B $29.95
(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)
ELECTRONICS DICTIONARY,
4/eSyJ. Markus
404/313B $32.95
(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)
MICROPROCESSOR DATA
BOOK. By S. A. Money. 350 pp.,
220 illus. A truly awesome collec-
tion of data about virtually every
chip available today!
427/062B $42.50
(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)
ANNOUNCING: The Most Important Computer Handbook
Ever Published!
The McGRAW-HILL COMPUTER HANDBOOK,
992 pp., 475 illus., edited by Harry L. Helms, with
over 24 world-reknown contributors, is by far the
most useful and comprehensive reference yet
designed for today's computer user. Crammed
with easy to get at information, ranging from
design concepts to programming techniques,
from data bases to interfacing, networking,
speech synthesis and recognition to mention just
a few of hundreds of entries, this one volume
reference does it all — in language and
presentation everyone can understand.
Invaluable for home, office, and school use, The
Computer Handbook "can be helpful to users in
solving many mysteries, while opening new doors
for exploration and serving as a continuing
reference," writes Thomas C. Bartee of Harvard
University.
279/721A $79.50
(Counts as 3 of your 3 books)
3 books for only $1.00 each ... if you join now for a trial period and agree to purchase three more
books — at handsome discounts — during your first year of membership. (Publishers' prices shown)
MICROPROCESSOR-BASED
ELECTRONIC GAMES: De-
sign, Programming, and
Troubleshooting. By W.
Buchsbaum and R . Mauro. 293 pp.,
illus., softcover. Turn your TV into
a home arcade with the first tech-
nical guide dedicated to fun\
087/229 $9.95
STRUCTURED PROGRAM-
MING: Theory and Practice By R.
C. Linger, H. D. Mills & B. I. Witt
788/537B $26.95
(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)
THE SMALL COMPUTER
CONNECTION: Networks for
the Home and Office. By N. L.
Shapiro. 256 pp. Shows you how to
use existing hardware and soft-
ware to link your small computer to
other computers — large and small —
and to a vast universe of databases.
564/124 $15.95
ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS'
HANDBOOK, 2/e By D. G. Fink
& D. Christiansen
209/812A $79.90
(Counts as 3 of your 3 books)
Z80 USERS MANUAL. By J.
Carr. 326 pp., with diagrams, charts,
and tables. Takes you through every
opportunity the ZAP can offer! It
covers Z80 pin definitions, CPU
control signals, support chips, in-
terfacing peripherals, and much
more.
582336-5 $21.95
INTRODUCING THE UNIX
SYSTEM. By H. McGilton & R.
Morgan. 256 pp., 50 illus. soft. This
book helps you over the initial hur-
dles of learning this new and pow-
erful computertool — even if you
have never used the Unix system or
penetrated any of its literature.
450/013 $18.95
HANDS-ON BASIC For the
IBM* Personal Computer By
H. Peckham. 308 pp., spiral-
bound, softcdver. Learn BASIC
programming right at the com-
puter! Step by step, this manual
gives you hands-on experience
with BASIC through a series of
guided activities. Each of the 12
chapters requires a t least one hour
at the computer and at least one
hour studying the text.
491/78X $19.95
HANDS-ON BASIC FOR THE
Atari 400/800/12XL By H.
Peckham
491/941 $19.95
THE C PRIMER. By L. Hancock
& M. Kreider. 256pp., 25 illus., soft-
bound. This is the only book on the
market that describes the C lan-
guage clearly and simply from the
novice's point of view.
259/81X $14.95
MICROCOMPUTER INTERFAC-
ING By B. Artwick
789/436B $28.00
(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)
APPLE PASCAL: A Hands-On
Approach. By A. Luehrmann and H.
Peckham, 426 pp., spiralbound. Fi-
nally — a how-to-use-PASCAL book
for Apple computer users that
makes a complete language as easy
as (forgive us!) applesauce. Takes
you from "total ignorance" all the
way up to a very impressive com-
petence in the use of that rather
complex language, PASCAL.
491/712 $19.95
PRINCIPLES OF INTERAC-
TIVE COMPUTER GRAPH-
ICS. By W. M. Newman and R.
Sproull. 2nd Ed.. 544 pp., illus. Now
in a revised, updated Second Edi-
tion, this volume has long been THE
standard source of information for
designers! Now, as before, it is ut-
terly comprehensive and up to the
minute in its coverage.
463/387B $32.50
(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)
— Consider these Byte Books as well! —
MICROCOMPUTER OP-
ERATING SYSTEMS By M.
Dahmke
150/710 $16.95
TRS-80 GRAPHICS FOR
THE MODEL I AND
MODEL III By D. Kater & S.
Thomas
333/033 $14.95
THREADED INTERPRE-
TIVE LANGUAGES By R. G.
Loeliger
383/60X $20.75
THE BRAINS OF MEN
AND MACHINES By E. W.
Kent
341/230 $20.95
BASIC SCIENTIFIC SUB-
ROUTINES, Vol. II By Dr.
F. R. Ruckdeschel
542/023B $26.95
(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)
CIARCIA'S CIRCUIT CEL-
LAR, Vol. 2 By S. Ciarcia
109/63X $15.95
BYTE BOOK OF PASCAL
By B. W. Liffick
789/673B $27.50
(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)
BASIC SCIENTIFIC SUB-
ROUTINES, Vol. I By Dr. F.
R. Ruckdeschel
542/015B $27.95
(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)
CIARCIA'S CIRCUIT CEL-
LAR, Vol. Ill By S. Ciarcia
109/656 $15.95
MICROCOMPUTER DISK
TECHNIQUES By P. Swan-
son
625/824 $15.95
BUILD YOUR OWN Z-80
COMPUTER By S. Ciarcia
109/621 $18.95
Why YOU should join the Byte Book Club™ now!
Best and newest books from ALL publishers! Books are se-
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your field.
Big savings! Build your library and save money too! Savings range
up to 30% or more off publishers' list prices — usually 20% to 25%.
Bonus books! You will immediately begin to participate in our Bo-
nus Book Plan that allows you savings up to 70% off the publishers'
prices of many professional and general interest books!
Convenience! 14-16 times a year (about once every 3-4 weeks)you
receive the Club Bulletin FREE. It fully describes the Main Selection
and alternate selections. A dated Reply Card is included. If you want
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M
Fill out the card and mail today! If the card is missing, write to:
BYTE BOOK CLUB, P.O. Box 582, Hightstown, New Jersey 08520
BYTE January 1984 465
Software Received
Apple
Braille-Edit, a word-process-
ing program for blind and
sighted persons to perform
text-editing operations using
voice, screen, or a braille
computer terminal. It is de-
signed to work with many
braille and voice devices,
enabling the user to write,
edit, correct, and print out
formatted letters, reports,
and papers using braille- or
print-oriented text files. In-
cludes audio and Versabraille
tapes. For II Plus or He; flop-
py disk, $300. Raised Dot
Computing, 310 South 7th
St., Lewisburg, PA 17837.
Computer Calculator, a cal-
culator program. Turn your
computer into an algebraic
and Reverse Polish Notation
(RPN) calculator. Features in-
clude automatic conversions
and balancing, calculations in
decimal, hexadecimal, and
binary, and user-defined
functions. For the II Plus;
floppy disk, $19.95. Jim's Soft-
ware, 384 The Great Road,
Bedford, MA 01730.
Cubit, a three-dimensional
strategy game in which you
must change the color of
cubes by jumping on them.
Beware of bouncing balls,
disguised snakes, and
vicious gremlins who get in
your way. For the II; floppy
disk, $39.95. Micromax Sys-
tems Inc., 6868 Nancy Ridge
Dr., San Diego, CA 92121.
Fastform, a business pro-
gram that lets you create
business forms, fill out stan-
dardized forms, and perform
numerical calculations. You
can save all data on disk. For
II Plus and lie; floppy disk,
$34.95. User-Friendly Soft-
ware, 3204 National Parks
Highway, Carlsbad, NM
88220.
Finance & Amortization, a
business program for bank-
ing and financial companies
to calculate amortization
schedules for loans, leases,
and savings accounts. Fea-
tures include investment-
decision and loan-analysis
capabilities. For II Plus and
He; floppy disk, $29.95. User-
Friendly Software (see ad-
dress above).
Fortress of the Witch King, a
fantasy game. Your quest is to
slay the ruler of the fortress
and gain power through the
orb, scepter, and crown. Your
band of warriors is constant-
ly in danger of the Witch
King's warriors or the vicious
hacker who want what you
have gained. For II, II Plus,
and He; floppy disk, $25.
Avalon Hill Game Co., 4517
Harford Rd., Baltimore, MD
21214.
The Graphics Magician, a
programmer's tool that
assists in the layout and
design of homemade arcade
games and high-resolution
graphics programs. These
new versions of the graphics
editor and machine-language
routines let you design
shapes and their paths and
assemble and control anima-
tions with your own pro-
grams. For the updated ver-
sion, send your old disk and
$15 to Penguin Software. For
the II; floppy disk, $59.95.
Penguin Software, 830 4th
Ave., Geneva, IL 60134.
Introduction to BASIC Pro-
gramming, a training and
utility package. This four-
disk series teaches computer
literacy while training the
student in BASIC program-
ming. A quiz module in each
lesson is scored automatically
and evaluated by the com-
puter. For II Plus and He;
floppy disks, $149.95. Orion
Training Systems, POB 94,
Dallastown, PA 17313.
Job Cost III, a business pro-
gram that lets you keep track
of 350 items of cost and quan-
tity totals. Headings can be
entered for 35 categories and
10 subcategories for cost-to-
date figures. Additional cate-
gories keep track of subcon-
tracts, overhead figures, cash
advances, loans, or final pay-
ments without figuring in the
cost-to-date figures. For the II
Plus; floppy disk, $34.95.
User-Friendly Software (see
address above).
Magicalc, an electronic
spreadsheet program. You
can create, manipulate,
modify, and print reports
that include such calculations
as financial statements, bud-
gets, cost estimates, sales
forecasts, staffing plans, and
development and product
schedules. For II and He;
floppy disk, $149.95. Artsci,
5547 Satsuma Ave., North
Hollywood, CA 91601.
Matrix Utility, a matrix-ma-
nipulation program that
computes eigenvalues, in-
verses, determinants, charac-
teristic polynomials, and
ranks of a matrix. It also
solves linear and polynomial
equations. Programming ex-
perience is not necessary to
operate program. For the II;
floppy disk, $34.95. Wesware,
2349 Fir, Glenview, IL 60025.
Miko tekst, a word-process-
ing package. You can edit let-
ters or memos; chart your
own chapters, index, or table
of contents; and print, for-
mat, or delete files. Docu-
mentation accompanies four
disks: text, help, letter, and
DOC. For II and He; floppy
disks, $190. Tomi Data, Kir-
kerudkleiva 4, 1313 Voyen-
enga, Norway.
Minit Man, a trilevel arcade-
type game. Waves of robots
have already destroyed the
bridge, and your missiles are
on the other side. Your job is
to rebuild the bridge while
simultaneously defending
your building complex that
houses the computer. Re-
quires a joystick. For the II;
floppy disk, $19.95. Penguin
Software (see address
above).
Monthly Accounting, an ac-
counts-management pro-
gram that handles up to 100
expense and income ac-
counts for business and
home purposes. Monthly
transactions can add up to
six-digit quantities ranging
from mortgage payments to
gas mileage. For II Plus and
He; floppy disk, $19.99. Soft-
cell, 13 Webster Ave., Han-
over, NH 03755.
Net-Works II, an electronic
bulletin-board program for
home or business uses. This
program automatically
answers and records phone
calls. It enables users to send
messages to individuals, dis-
tribute memos, and use as a
24-hour-a-day message cen-
ter. For the II; floppy disk,
$99. High Technology Soft-
ware Products Inc., POB
60406, 1611 Northwest 23rd,
Oklahoma City, OK 73146.
PTD— 6502/6510 Debugger,
an assembly-language utility.
This program enables the
user to write, modify, and
debug games and utilities
using BASIC editing features.
Includes an 80-page tutorial
manual. For the He; floppy
disk, $50. Pterodactyl Soft-
ware, 200 Bolinas Rd. #27,
Fairfax, CA 94930.
The Scrambler, a disk pro-
tection/password system.
This program lets you check
disks for errors, copy-protect
your disks by using a pass-
word system, and create a
scrambled data disk that can
466 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Software Received.
be stored. It will verify disks
in 12 seconds. For II Plus and
He; floppy disk, $28.95. Jag-
ware, 127 Albany Ave. SE,
Orange City, IA 51041.
The Spy Strikes Back, a
high-resolution graphics
game in which you must
locate Dr. X's terrorist opera-
tion. Reports reveal that each
of the five floors in his hide-
away is divided into 24
guarded sections, containing
16 rooms. The object is to get
through these rooms without
being seen or getting caught.
For the II; floppy disk, $19.95.
Penguin Software (see ad-
dress above).
Stockfile, a stock-control
program for smaller busi-
nesses. You can store up to
1000 stock lines on one disk.
Using extra disks, up to
30,000 stock lines can be
created, viewed, updated,
corrected, or printed. It auto-
matically calculates stock
values. For II and lie; floppy
disk, $95. Felix Software, 19
Leighton Ave., Pinner HA5
3BW, England.
Super Disk Labeller, a ma-
chine-language utility pack-
age. Prepare and print flop-
py-disk labels that organize
your disks into a library. This
program allows use of a
variety of printers using the
printer configuration mode
and lets you print labels of
almost any size with the
label-options mode. Requires
Applesoft in ROM. For II, II
Plus, and He; floppy disk,
$34.95. Lakefront Software,
7754 Balboa Blvd., Van Nuys,
CA 91406.
Talk-U-Thru Wordstar, a
step-by-step tutorial program
to teach the functions of
Wordstar. This program fea-
tures an introduction to
CP/M, Wordstar installation,
cursor moves, text moves, de-
leting and inserting text, on-
screen formatting, file-man-
agement techniques, and a
variety of other functions. In-
cludes audiocassettes cover-
ing installation, cursor
moves, and formatting and
printing. For II, II Plus, He,
and III; floppy disk, $49.95.
Talk-U-Thru Tutorial Sys-
tems, 6519 Fountain Ave., Los
Angeles, CA 90028.
Teacher's Pet, a report-card
program that can keep track
of an unlimited number of
students ranging from ele-
mentary to high school. Up
to 800 objectives can be
placed on the master disk,
which already contains about
700 standard objectives. For II
Plus and He; floppy disk,
$300. Softcell (see address
above).
Atari
Computer Football Strategy,
a football-simulation game
similar to the board game. Pit
your strategic skills against
the computer or a live oppo-
nent as you call both offense
and defense plays. Many for-
mations to choose from as
the game clock ticks away.
For 400/800; cassette, $16.
Avalon Hill Game Co., 4517
Harford Rd., Baltimore, MD
21214.
The Arcade Machine, a
game-creation program. De-
velop your own animated
creatures, spaceships, aliens,
tanks, monsters, or other ob-
jects to move over a variety of
backgrounds. Include such
sounds as explosions, musi-
cal tones, and other sound
effects as you design your
own arcade games. For 400/
800 and the XL series; flop-
py disk, $59.95. Broderbund
Software Inc., 17 Paul Dr.,
San Rafael, CA 94903.
B/Graph, a professional
graphics-charting and statis-
tical-analysis program. You
can assemble, process, and
display complex, extensive
numerical data in graphic
form with this comprehen-
sive, two-disk package. For
400/800; floppy disk, $99. In-
home Software Inc., Unit 8,
2485 Dunwin Dr., Missis-
sauga, Ontario L5L 1T1,
Canada.
CP/M
Billchecker, a personal fi-
nancial program that runs
CP/M 2.2. This lets you
handle check writing and bill
paying. When you categorize
bills due, their dates due are
automatically updated.
Checkbook will hold up to
200 transactions with six-digit
numerals using double preci-
sion. Floppy disk, $39.95.
Extal Alstar Inc., POB 850,
Rome, NY 13440.
CP/M.D., a utility program
that diagnoses and cures ail-
ments of CP/M disks. Menu-
driven functions and a vari-
ety of commands recover
files from bad disks, locate
and lock out bad sectors, and
translate decimal numbers to
hexadecimal and binary
codes. Floppy disk, $29.95.
Teleprint Inc., Simpl-Simon
Software, POB 10, Sylvania,
GA 30467.
Magic/L, a general-purpose
interactive language. Appli-
cations include mailing-list,
hardware diagnostics, de-
bugging routines, an image-
processing system, database
query system, a turnkey
process-control system, and
a cross-assembler program.
Floppy disk, $295. Loki Engi-
neering Inc., 55 Wheeler St.,
Cambridge, MA 02138.
Menu, a utility package that
automatically sorts disk files
using number codes without
typing filenames. You select
numbers and Menu handles
functions such as copy, re-
name, erase, type, restore,
compare, and more. You can
secure sensitive disk files
with password protection
and explore the internal sys-
tem while programming.
Floppy disk, $149. Comput-
ing, 2519 Greenwich St., San
Francisco, CA 94123.
Real-Time C, a utility pro-
gram that provides users of
Whitesmiths' C compiler
with an alternate run-time li-
brary suitable for real-time
programming. The library
consists of approximately 100
modules combined into two
library files. Features include
command-line parsing and
error handling accessible to
the application programmer.
Floppy disk, $95. Kadak
Products Ltd., 206-1847 West
Broadway Ave., Vancouver,
British Columbia V6J 1Y5,
Canada.
SAL/80, a utility compiler
and language program. This
program lets you maintain
and reduce development and
debugging time, and test
branch code. It includes a
complete set of console in-
put/output primitives that
perform case and base con-
version, byte, word and
string input/output through
standard system calls and
provide data manipulation
using arithmetic functions.
Floppy disk, $59. Protools,
24225 Summerhill Ave., Los
Altos, CA 94022.
Text Addresser, a word-pro-
cessing package that runs
CP/M 2.2. A categorized ad-
dress book automatically ad-
dresses letters. You can edit,
move text, center text, and
print. Floppy disk, $39.95.
Extal Alstar Inc. (see address
above).
Commodore
Casual Writer, a word-pro-
cessing program. You can
write letters and lists, print
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 467
Software Received -
club bulletins, and store in-
formation on tape. For the 64;
cassette, $29. E.N. Publica-
tions, RD 1, Box V, Worden,
IL 62097.
Design-a-Quilt, a graphic-
design program that can de-
sign more than 450 million
quilt patterns. You key in a
value for colors, blocks, and
patches per block for a sym-
metric arrangement of quilt
patterns. For the VIC-20; cas-
sette, $29.95. Don's Designs,
1728 Womer, Wichita, KS
67203.
The Home Budget Ledger, a
home-accounting program.
This electronic checkbook
and budget planner lets you
set up spending categories to
format as general ledger
pages. It shows check num-
bers and descriptions, debits,
credits, and balances. It also
features routines to track
checks, noncheck transac-
tions, and disk backup. For
the 64; floppy disk, $24.95.
Harpware— Software and
Computers, POB 760954,
Dallas, TX 75376-0954.
Intermediate Language and
Math, a five-program educa-
tional package for ages 10
through 12. Program titles in-
clude Nouns and Verbs, Ad-
jectives and Adverbs, Rocket
Launch, Add Speed, and
Math Squares. For the 64;
cassette, $34.95 for all five
programs or $9.95 each.
Baned Software, 113 Tenth
St., West Keansburg, NJ
07734.
FTD— 6502/6510 Debugger,
an assembly-language utility
(see description under Ap-
ple). For the 64; floppy disk,
$30. Pterodactyl Software,
200 Bolinas Rd. #27, Fairfax,
CA 94930.
IBM
Personal Computer
Codewriter, a utility program
that lets businesspeople de-
sign their own programs
without computer program-
ming experience. Possible ap-
plications include payables
and receivables, sales analy-
ses, customer and personnel
files, mailing lists, invoicing,
and inventory tracking. Flop-
py disk, $399. Dynatech
Microsoftware Inc., 7847
North Caldwell Ave., Niles,
IL 60648.
Empire, a global-conflict sim-
ulation game. You must an-
nihilate other armies on a
large map to gain total
domination of the world. Re-
quires strategic concentra-
tion. Floppy disk, $40.
Northwest Software, 15343
Southeast 43 Place, Bellevue,
WA 98006.
Fast File, an applications-
generator program designed
for novice users to design
their own application pro-
grams. This program can be
used to create automated sys-
tems such as inventory, ac-
counting, mass mailing, and
other data-tracking systems.
You can manipulate data,
design reports, and generate
labels. Includes security-
protection features. Floppy
disk, $695. ICCS, 7777 Lees-
burg Pike, Falls Church, VA
22043.
Fixed Asset Manager, a fi-
nancial-scheduling tool. Two
depreciation schedules and
various assets can be cata-
loged for business and per-
sonal uses. Features include
standard depreciation meth-
ods, assets classified by loca-
tion or type, extensive in-
quiry, and exception report-
ing. Floppy disk, $150. Sof-
trend, POB 1462, Charlottes-
ville, VA 22902.
The Itemizer, a financial-
record-keeping program.
This program lets you define
up to 90 categories which can
be printed, saved in a file, or
displayed on the screen in
summary and detail form.
Floppy disk, $39.95. People
Literate Software, POB 2039,
Bozeman, MT 59715.
Manager Program Collec-
tion, an integrated schedul-
ing and financial-planning
system that contains three,
programs. Task Manager pro-
vides daily schedule control
and a job-expense account-
ing system. Records Manager
offers a client- and associ-
ate-information filing system.
Project Manager is a project-
planning and resource-anal-
ysis system. Floppy disks,
$499. Datamension Corp.,
615 Academy Dr., North-
brook, IL 60062.
The Real Estate Consultant,
an investment-analysis pack-
age. This package assists in
comparing real estate invest-
ment yields against alterna-
tive investment potentials
such as individual ownership
vs. partners, rent-or-buy
decisions, tax status vs. new
tax shelters, and timing a sale
vs. holding. Floppy disk,
$275. Consultant Systems
Inc., Suite #311, 3704 State
St., Santa Barbara, CA 93105.
Samna Word II, a word-pro-
cessing business package.
You can write, edit, and re-
view any document with
flexibility. This program also
supports multiple window
operations, a fold feature for
wide columnar documents,
floating footnotes, and a
zoom feature that lets you see
page makeup. Floppy disks,
$450. Samna Corp., Suite
Graphics for the IBMpc, Apple, Z-100
This is a spectacular collection of programs in BASIC for 2D and 3D
graphics. They form a complete self-teaching guide that will show you how
to write graphics software quickly and easily.
The programs are listed in a book beside full documentation. They show
how to use basic plotting commands, create 2D and 3D shapes, translate,.
rotate, scale, stretch, remove hidden lines, shade, clip, window, draw
perspective views, use hi-speed animation for simulation, games.
"If you have the slightest interest in graphics I recommend the book"
- Programmer Magazine
Book- $30.50 Disk- $21.50 (specify IBM, Apple Z-100)
468 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 212 on Inquiry card.
C-1200, 2700 Northeast Ex-
pressway, Atlanta, GA 30345.
Set-FX, a printer-control pro-
gram. Designed to fully util-
ize the Epson FX, this pro-
gram can let you print the full
IBM character set including
line graphics, foreign lan-
guages, and math and sci-
ence symbols. You can also
create custom fonts for spe-
cial effects, set modes for
variety, and employ ideas the
program provides. Floppy
disk, $59.95. Softstyle Inc.,
Suite 200, Department B12,
7192 Kalanianaole Highway,
Honolulu, HI 96825.
Super Chartman II, a busi-
ness-graphics-presentation
program. Up to six graphs
and charts can be displayed
on one page, and stored data
can be transferred from one
graphic format to one of 20
others. This program is
menu- and input-form-
driven; the manual is de-
signed for the nontechnical
user. Floppy disk, $425.
Graphic Software Inc., 1972
Massachusetts Ave., Cam-
bridge, MA 02140.
Time Value of Money, an in-
vestment problem-solving
tool. Make financial deci-
sions based on analyses of
compound interest, mort-
gage, annuity, and gradient.
Create investment and pay-
ment schedules, merge these
with reports, and file for
future reference. Floppy disk,
$39.95. People Literate Soft-
ware (see address above).
Type & Learn, a typing-in-
struction program. Learn
how to type while you learn
about computers by match-
ing computer terms, defini-
tions, and paragraphs of
computer information. This
program calculates your
score, accuracy percentage,
and words-per-minute
speed. The progress of your
typing skills is reported.
Floppy disk, $60. Simsoft
Inc., POB 7095, Port Huron,
MI 48301.
Type-Righter, a typing-tutor
program. Both novice and
beginning users can develop
speed and accuracy in typ-
ing. Color and graphics are
used to highlight keys and re-
inforce the lessons. Floppy
disk, $19. Martin Oakes, 2100
Oriole Dr., Freeport, IL
61032.
Universal Loan Planner, a
loan-planning utility pro-
gram. You can plan the terms
of a loan and the printing of
an amortization schedule.
Features also include calcula-
tion of minimum payment,
interest rates, amortization
periods, and the maximum
amount you can borrow.
Floppy disk, $59.95. Andy's
Software, Group 1, Box 44,
RR 6, Bowmanville, Ontario
L1C 3K7, Canada.
Util, a utility package to ma-
nipulate ASCII data files.
Programmers can use these
filter functions to provide
flexibility in command lists
processed by the batch-com-
mand processor. Floppy
disk, $30. John R. Hind, 4100
Pickwick Dr., Raleigh, NC
27612.
WS-Patch, a utility package to
enhance your printer's power
using Wordstar. This pro-
gram patches special infor-
mation into programs to
enable special printer func-
tions. It amends the print-
control menu to reflect letter-
quality printing such as bold-
face, italics, superscripts, and
subscripts. Floppy disk,
$49.95. CMB3 Enterprises,
POB 3061, Walnut Creek, CA
95498.
Osborne 1
Animate, a graphics and ani-
mation-processor program.
Using ASCII and graphics
characters you can create pic-
tures on the screen to edit,
save, print, combine, and
display. Floppy disk, $30.
Softborne Software, 1217
Hawthorne Lane, Fort Wash-
ington, PA 19034.
Cypho.bas, an interactive
program that performs cryp-
tographic algorithms on
alphabetic text. The program
encrypts or decrypts data
entered from the console or
in a disk file, and sends the
resulting data to the disk file.
Floppy disk, $10. Graven
Imagery, Apt. Ill, 50 Walmer
Rd., Toronto, Ontario M5R
2X4, Canada.
Magic, an investment-analy-
sis program. Enter the values
for up to 15 investments
based on daily, weekly, or
monthly data, and Magic
provides 6 moving averages
and 12 ratios of moving aver-
ages for relative strength and
momentum oscillators. You
can compute averages for dif-
ferent time periods. Floppy
disk, $49.95. $ware Tools for
Investors, POB 645, San Luis
Rey, CA 92068.
TRS-80
Autoplot, a graphics pro-
gram that automatically plots
curves in color. Choose from
among line graphs, scatter
plots, and bar graphs plotted
from mathematical functions
or tabulated data. Axes are
automatically scaled and
labeled. For the Model 100;
cassette, $39.50. Menlo Sys-
tems, Suite 221, 3790 El
Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA
94306.
Statistics for the IBMpc, Apple, Z-100
This Is a book/disk package of programs in BASIC for the application of
statistics to business, science and engineering. Emphasis is on understan-
ding statistics and using micros for the quick solution of real-life problems.
Programs are included for statistical distributions, histograms, sorting,
smoothing, mean, standard deviation, errors, sampling, estimations, reliability,
confidence intervals, linear and multilinear regression, curve fitting, correla-
tion, time series and forecasting. Also numerous case studies. Takes the
mystery out of statistics! Book- $36 Disk- $26 (specify IBMpc, Apple, Z-100)
KERN PUBLICATIONS - Call for faster delivery
433 Washington St, PO Box 1029, Duxbury, MA 02331 (617)934-0445
m
Circle 213 on inquiry card.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 469
Software Received
Brainstormer, a universal
problem-solving program.
You can generate potential
solutions to complex prob-
lems with a structure tech-
nique for describing prob-
lems in strategy selection,
idea generating, and solution
implementation. Applica-
tions include increasing flex-
ible thinking, discovering
new products, identifying
new markets, and exploring
personal or organizational
problems. For the Model III;
floppy disk, $50. Soft Path
Systems, c/o Cheshire
House, 105 North Adams,
Eugene, OR 97402.
Dyfin, a personal financing
program. Make financial
decisions on loans, savings,
investments, and retire-
ments. This program can cal-
culate monthly payments or
returns and balance a check-
book. A 500-year calendar
feature includes a monthly
display. For the Color Com-
puter; cassette, $19.95.
Dynamic Electronics Inc.,
POB 896, Hartselle, AL
35640.
Maze Runner, a maze-type
game. Create your own
mazes or play the maze
games already on disk. Test
your skill and speed as the
maze constantly changes. For
the Models III and 4; floppy
disk, $9.95. Point Video Prod-
ucts, Box 34, 2005 A St.,
Garden City, KS 67846.
Options 80A, a stock-option
analyzing program. Investors
can maximize stock-market
yields, plot returns against
actuals, and print graphs
alphanumerically. This ver-
sion includes Black-Scholes
modeling and put-option
spreads. For Models I and III;
floppy disk, $170. Options-80,
POB 471, Concord, MA
01742.
Buy ASCI Intelligent Port Expanders
• Eliminate Manual Switching by Remote
Control
• Improve Productivity and Reliability
• Share Printers, Modems or Plotters
• Expand Computers or Terminals
• Use Matrix Switching for Multiple Trans-
mission or Security
• Supports Polling and Queing
INSTANT COMPATIBILITY with new computer devices
and MAJOR OEM PRODUCTS:
Altos — Burroughs — Data General — DEC
H.P. — IBM — NCR — Northstar — Victor
and other key manufacturers.
Call 213-793-8979 to EXPAND YOUR SYSTEMS
TODAY.
Advanced Systems Concepts Inc.
435 N. Lake Ave., Dept. b l
Pasadena, CA9 1 l 1
800-824-7080 Telex: 70 1 215
Paintpot, an extended BASIC
educational program for all
ages. Four-color graphics can
be sketched using arrow
keys, a joystick, or mouse;
colors are selected from an
on-screen palette. Four
screens can be stored at once.
For the Color Computer; cas-
sette and disk, $20 and $25,
respectively. Tim Skene, 6073
Durocher Ave., Montreal,
Quebec H2V 3Y1, Canada.
Scribe, a word-processing
program. In addition to edit-
ing text files, you can print
letters and reports in finished
forms using a dot-matrix
printer. For the Model 100;
cassette, $24.95. Chattanooga
Systems Associates, POB
22261, Chattanooga, TN
27421.
Texas Instruments
99/4A
Dow Editor/Assembler, a
utility package that provides
the ability to program in as-
sembly language, save on
cassette, restore the program
from cassette, and display
the program on the monitor.
Cassette, $25. John X Dow,
6360 Caton, Pittsburgh, PA
15217.
Wild Woods, an arcade-type
game. After you are dropped
from an airplane, you must
fire your flamethrower to
reach land safely and to forge
through a dense forest in
search of treasures. Avoid the
rushing river, incoming tide,
and the search plane. Cas-
sette, $11.95. JW Software, 814
West Main St., Urbana, IL
61801.
Wycove Forth, a program-
ming-language program.
Gain high-speed program-
ming and control of the com-
puter using printer access,
sound, sprites, a graphics
mode, text mode, and bit-
map graphics-mode displays.
Floppy disk with cassette,
$50. Wycove Systems Ltd.,
POB 1105, Dartmouth, Nova
Scotia B2Y 4B8, Canada.
T/S1000 and ZX81
The Fantastic Music Ma-
chine and Light Show, a
two-part program. Music
Composer transforms the
keyboard into a three-octave
musical instrument that plays
through a radio. Light Show
animates random kaleido-
scopic patterns or lets you
create your own designs.
Cassette, $9.95. Simulusion,
Box 894, Lemon Grove, CA
92045.
Party Nibbles and Bites, a
fast-recipe program. A dozen
party recipes instantly ap-
pear when you select from
the menu of choices. Cas-
sette, $9.95. Simulusion (see
address above ).■
This is a list of software packages that have been received by
BYTE Publications during the past month. The list is correct to
the best of our knowledge, but it is not meant to be a full de-
scription of the product or the forms in which the product is
available. In particular, some packages may be sold for several
machines or in both cassette and floppy-disk format; the prod-
uct listed here is the version received by BYTE Publications.
This is an all-inclusive list that makes no comment on the
quality or usefulness of the software listed. \X/e regret that we
cannot review every software package we receive. Instead,
this list is meant to be a monthly acknowledgment of these
packages and the companies that sent them. All software re-
ceived is considered to be on loan to BYTE and is returned to
the manufacturer after a set period of time. Companies send-
ing software packages should be sure to include the list price
of the packages and (where appropriate) the alternate forms
in which they are available.
470 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Circle 16 on inquiry card.
Event Queue
January 1984
January
Courses from Q. E. D. Infor-
mation Sciences, various
sites throughout the U.S.
Scheduled courses include
"Cost-Benefit Analysis/ 7
"Leadership: Managing and
Influencing People/ 7 and
"Designing Systems Con-
trols.' 7 Address inquiries to
Q. E. D. Information Sci-
ences Inc., Q. E. D. Plaza,
POB 181, Wellesley, MA
02181, (800) 343-4848; in Mas-
sachusetts, (617) 237-5656.
January-February
Fundamentals of Finance
and Accounting Using a Mi-
crocomputer, various sites
throughout the U.S. This
three-day seminar is spon-
sored by the Data Processing
Institute of the New York
University School of Con-
tinuing Education. It will
cover microcomputer appli-
cations for effective decision
making and controlling busi-
ness requirements. Previous
computer knowledge is not
required. The fee for the
course is $695. For specific
dates and locations, contact
the NYU School of Continu-
ing Education Seminar Cen-
ter, 575 Madison Ave., New
York, NY 10022, (212)
748-5094.
January-April
Courses in C Language and
Unix, various sites through-
out the U.S. Three five-day
courses are offered: "C Pro-
gramming Workshop, 77 "Ad-
vanced C Topics Seminar, 77
and "Unix Workshop. 77 For
complete details, contact Joan
Hall, Plum Hall Inc., 1
Spruce Ave., Cardiff, NJ
08232, (609) 927-3770.
January-August
Conferences and Expositions
from the Society of Manu-
facturing Engineers, various
sites throughout the U.S. and
around the world. More than
25 conferences and exposi-
tions are scheduled. For a
calendar, contact the Public
Relations Department, Soci-
ety of Manufacturing Engi-
neers, One SME Dr., POB
930, Dearborn, MI 48121,
(313) 271-0777.
January 10-22
Mainframe Seismic and
Remote Sensing Applica-
tions of Optical Storage,
Westin Oaks Hotel, Houston,
TX. This conference will em-
phasize the uses of optical
storage in oil exploration,
geophysical, atmospheric,
and oceanographic-sensing
industries, where massive
amounts of data must be col-
lected, analyzed, and ar-
chived. The fee is $695 for the
first person from an organiza-
tion and $595 for each addi-
tional attendee. For details,
contact Technology Opportu-
nity Conference, POB 14817,
San Francisco, CA 94114-0817,
(415) 626-1133.
January 14-15
The Fourth Annual Com-
puter Fair, Northland Mall,
Sterling, IL. This event is
sponsored by the Sauk Valley
Computer Club. For details,
contact Vinus Williams, Rt. 1,
Milledgeville, IL 61051, (815)
625-8585 days.
January 16-17
Data Communications for
Personal Computers, Boston,
MA. This seminar seeks to
impart an understanding of
the fundamentals of data
communications, describe
the possible applications
available to computer users,
and provide guidance in the
selection and use of data
communications hardware
and software. Topics covered
range from electronic mail to
troubleshooting an installed
system. The fee is $545,
which includes all materials.
Contact the Center for Ad-
vanced Professional Educa-
tion (CAPE), Suite 110, 1820
East Garry St., Santa Ana,
CA 92705, (714) 261-0240.
January 16-17
MOS Analog/Digital Inter-
face Circuit Design for VLSI
Systems, San Francisco Air-
port Hilton Hotel, San Fran-
cisco, CA. This short course
will emphasize applicable
design techniques for very
large-scale integration sys-
tems. Course notes are in-
cluded in the $450 fee. For a
brochure, contact Continuing
Education in Engineering,
University of California Ex-
tension, 2223 Fulton St.,
Berkeley, CA 94720, (415)
642-4151.
January 16-20
The IEEE Instrumentation
and Measurement Technol-
ogy Conference and The
Measurement Science Con-
ference, Long Beach, CA.
Both of these conferences ad-
dress the theme "Automa-
tion—Quality—Productivity. 77
Tutorials, seminars, and
workshops will cover such
topics as "Design for Test-
ability, 77 "Solid State Trans-
ducers, 77 and "Testing Re-
lating to VLSI Design. 77 The
first conference will empha-
size automated testing and
computer-aided instrumenta-
tion, while the second fo-
cuses on the latest develop-
ments in metrology. The
venue for both convocations
is aboard the Queen Mary
ocean liner. For more infor-
mation, contact John C.
Schulz, Ford Aerospace and
Communications Corp., Ford
Rd., POB A, Building 4,
Room 28, Newport Beach,
CA 92660, (714) 720-4787.
January 17-19
The Midwestern Telecommu-
nications Showcase, Bartle
Hall, Kansas City, MO. Tech-
nical sessions and a large ex-
hibition of products and ser-
vices designed for the tele-
communications industry are
planned. For details, contact
the United States Telecom-
munications Suppliers Asso-
ciation (USTSA) Exhibit Of-
fice, 7076 Taft St., Holly-
wood, FL 33024, (305)
963-1485.
January 17-19
Mini/Micro-Southeast and
Southcon/84 High-Technol-
ogy Electronics Exhibition
and Convention, Orange
County Convention/Civic
Center, Orlando, FL. Mini/
Micro, designed for the ori-
ginal equipment manufactur-
ing community, explores pe-
ripherals, processors, data
communications, and soft-
ware. A few of the topics to
be addressed at Southcon/84
are artificial intelligence,
computer-aided design, and
factory automation. For de-
tails on these concurrent
events, contact Electronic
Conventions Inc., 8110 Air-
port Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
90045, (213) 772-2965.
January 17-20
Uniforum, Washington-Hil-
ton, Washington, DC. This
conference and exposition is
designed for and by users of
Unix-based systems. For de-
tails, contact Mark Weber,
Professional Exposition Man-
agement Co. Inc., Suite 205,
2400 East Devon Ave., Des
Plaines, IL 60018, (800)
323-5155; in Illinois, (312)
299-3131.
January 18-23
Commtex International and
NAVA/ICIA '84 Convention,
Dallas Convention Center,
Dallas, TX. Commtex, a com-
munications and information
technologies exposition,
highlights the latest develop-
ments in audio-visual, video,
and microcomputer products
for many communication
needs. The concurrent con-
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 471
Event Queue
vention is sponsored by the
National Audio Visual Asso-
ciation/International Com-
munications Industries Asso-
ciation (NAVA/ICIA). For in-
formation, contact Robert
Milko, NAVA, 3150 Spring
St., Fairfax, VA 22031, (703)
273-7200.
Januaiy 19
Microtrends Update, Dallas,
TX. This conference focuses
on future trends in the micro-
computer industry and on
the needs in the educational
software field. It's held in
conjunction with the NAVA/
International Communica-
tions Industries Association
1984 Convention. For infor-
mation, contact Kathy Eisen-
rauch, NAVA/ICIA, 3150
Spring St., Fairfax, VA 22031,
(703) 273-7200.
January 19-20
Data Communications for
Personal Computers, New
Brunswick, NJ. For details,
see January 16-17.
Januaiy 23-25
Teaching Math with Micro-
computers, Hacienda Resort
Hotel, Las Vegas, NV. This
seminar, sponsored by the
National Council of Teachers
of Mathematics (NCTM), is
designed to inform educators
in elementary, intermediate,
and secondary schools about
using microcomputers effec-
tively in mathematics educa-
tion. For details, contact
NCTM Seminar Series, 1906
Association Dr., Reston, VA
22091, (703) 620-9840.
January 24-26
Advanced Semiconductor
Equipment Exposition (ASEE)
and Technical Conference,
Convention Center, San Jose,
CA. Five sessions designed
as a broad-based program
cover the manufacturing
aspects of the semiconductor
industry. For details, contact
Joyce Estill, Cartlidge & As-
sociates Inc., Suite 205, 4030
Moorpark Ave., San Jose, CA
95117, (408) 554-6644.
Januaiy 25-27
The Business Telecommuni-
cations Exposition, Stadium
Club, Giants Stadium, East
Rutherford, NJ. This commu-
nications exposition is de-
signed for business, industry,
and trade. Topics of interest
include facsimile, voice,
video, and data communica-
tions. Other topics to be
covered are office automa-
tion, word processing, and
purchasing. Registration is
required for admittance to
the exposition. Contact
Michael Houston, The Expo-
sition Group Inc., 9128 Co-
lumbia Ave., North Bergen,
NJ 07047, (201) 662-1318.
Januaiy 25-27
Fundamentals of Digital
Electronics: A Hands-on
Workshop, Hilton Hotel, Los
Angeles, CA. Technical man-
agers and engineers will ex-
plore the practical essentials
of digital theory and applica-
tions. This seminar is spon-
sored by Electronics maga-
zine, a McGraw-Hill publica-
tion. In-house presentations
can be arranged. For a catalog
outlining seminars, locations,
and fees, contact Irene
Parker, McGraw-Hill Semi-
nar Center, Suite 603, 331
Madison Ave., New York, NY
10017, (212) 687-0243.
January 26-27
Computers in Construction,
Las Vegas, NV. This seminar
is designed to assist construc-
tion contractors and con-
struction management firms
in acquiring computer sys-
tems. The fee is $425 per
registrant. More details are
available from CIP Informa-
tion Services Inc., 1105-F
Spring St., Silver Spring,
MD 20910, (301) 589-7933.
Januaiy 26-27
Software Business Opportu-
nities in Japan, Monterey,
CA. This seminar will cover
the marketing of packaged
software in Japan, software
licensing, protecting software
from competitors, methods
of distribution, tax planning
considerations, and sales
techniques. American and
Japanese computer, technol-
ogy, trade, and legal experts
will discuss strategies for
penetrating the Japanese
market. Registration informa-
tion is available from the
Technology Analysis Group
Inc., Suite 101, 1424 16th St.
NW, Washington, DC 20036,
(202) 483-6642.
Januaiy 27-29
Resource '84, Shamrock Hil-
ton Hotel, Houston, TX. This
computer exposition is dedi-
cated to users in the medical,
dental, legal, and accounting
professions who need to buy
a new system or want to up-
grade existing systems. Tele-
communications information
and software applicable to
home and office uses will be
displayed. Admission is free
for physicians, dentists, at-
torneys, and accountants; all
others pay $2.50. Entrance to
any or all of the seminars is
$10. For details, contact Joyce
Fadem, Professional Re-
sources Inc., POB 740433,
Houston, TX 77274.
Januaiy 30-31
Data Communications for
Personal Computers, Los
Angeles, CA. For details, see
January 16-17.
Januaiy 31-Februaiy 3
The Sixth Annual Commu-
nication Networks 1984 Con-
ference and Exposition,
Washington Convention
Center, Washington, DC.
Voice and telecommunica-
tions, electronic mail, data
processing, and communica-
tions are a few of the prod-
ucts and services to be dis-
played at this event. Registra-
tion information is available
from Louise Myerow, POB
880, Framingham, MA 01701,
(800) 225-4698; in Massachu-
setts, (617) 879-0700.
February 1984
Februaiy- April
Courses from Integrated
Computer Systems, various
sites throughout the U.S.
"Implementing Local Area
Networks" and "Computer
Network Design and Proto-
cols" are two of the courses
to be presented. For complete
course information, contact
Ruth Dordick, Integrated
Computer Systems, 6305
Arizona Place, POB 45405,
Los Angeles, CA 90045, (213)
450-2060.
Februaiy-July
Reliability and Maintain-
ability Engineering Insti-
tutes and Short Courses,
various sites throughout the
U.S. A few of the programs
to be offered are "Reliability
Engineering, Testing, and
Maintainability Engineering"
and "The Tenth Annual Re-
liability Testing Institute." For
a complete schedule, contact
Dr. Dimitri Kececioglu, Col-
lege of Engineering, Aero-
space and Mechanical Engi-
neering Department, Univer-
sity of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
85721, (602) 621-2495.
Februaiy 1-2
Data Communications for
Personal Computers, San
Jose, CA. For details, see
January 16-17.
Februaiy 2-4
The Third Annual SCS Mul-
ticonference, Bahia Hotel,
Mission Bay, San Diego, CA.
This conference, sponsored
by the Society for Computer
Simulation (SCS), is com-
posed of four conferences:
Modeling and Simulation on
Microcomputers, Simulation
in Health Care Delivery Sys-
tems, Aerospace Simulation,
and Simulation in Strongly
Typed Languages, Ada, Pas-
cal, Simula. For details, con-
472 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
tact Gloria Rico, SCS, POB
2228, La Jolla, CA 92038, (619)
459-3888.
February 7-9
Florida Agribusiness Com-
puter Conference and Trade
Show, Civic Center, Lake-
land, FL. This conference
will demonstrate how com-
puters can be used as deci-
sion-making tools for mana-
gers in agribusiness. The
sponsor of this second an-
nual farm computer confer-
ence is the University of
Florida's Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences (IFAS).
For details, contact IFAS
Director of Conferences, 1041
McCarty Hall, University of
Florida, Gainesville, FL
32611, (904) 392-5930.
February 7-10
Florida Instructional Com-
puting Conference, Orlando,
FL. This conference is de-
signed to provide kindergar-
ten, elementary school, high
school, and college and uni-
versity instructors and ad-
ministrators with the oppor-
tunity to learn about admin-
istrative and instructional
computing. More than 85
concurrent sessions, 120 ex-
hibits, and preconference
workshops will be offered.
Full details are available from
Educational Technology,
Florida Department of Edu-
cation, Knott Building, Talla-
hassee, FL 32301, (904)
487-3104.
February 13-16
Kuwait Info '84, Internation-
al Exhibition Center, Kuwait
City, Kuwait. Exhibits in this
third annual event will en-
compass a broad range of in-
formation businesses, includ-
ing data and word process-
ing, communications, office
automation, micrographics,
security systems, and en-
vironmental control systems.
Information is available from
Carol Purdey, Intermarket
Network Corp., Suite 203,
1110 Vermont Ave. NW,
Washington, DC 20005, (202)
822-9127.
February 14-15
The First Annual Automated
Manufacturing Systems
Conference: A Market As-
sessment, Inn of Westchester,
White Plains, NY. For infor-
mation, contact Carol Sap-
chin, Frost & Sullivan Inc.,
106 Fulton St., New York, NY
10038, (212) 233-1080.
February 14-16
The Twelfth Annual ACM
Computer Science Confer-
ence, Franklin Plaza Hotel,
Philadelphia, PA. Papers,
panel sessions, and abstracts
will address the central
themes of "Factory of the
Future/' "Coping with Small
Computers," and "Social and
Ethical Implications of Com-
puters/' Exhibits will feature
over 50 computer and in-
structional materials. Par-
ticulars are available from the
Association for Computing
Machinery, 1133 Avenue of
the Americas, New York, NY
10036, (212) 265-6300.
February 20-22
The 1984 Office Automation
Conference (OAC '84), Con-
vention Center, Los Angeles,
CA. The theme of this con-
ference is "Office Automa-
tion and You/' For the first
time, an executive-only pro-
gram will be offered. Further
information is available from
the American Federation of
Information Processing Soci-
eties Inc., 1899 Preston White
Dr., Reston, VA 22091, (703)
620-8926. For details on the
Executive Program, contact
John J. Connell, Office Tech-
nology Research Group, POB
65, Pasadena, CA 91102.
i»PRIfT SFRVIfT INTEGRITY Y °u owe it to yourself to call uss (ord l er S f only) (800)392-7081
*■ l%IV>t-* JUV¥IV-L^ II1ILUI\I1 1 ••• mours: Monday-Friday 8:30 8 m-4:30 P m Pacific Time) Calif., Alaska, Hawaii & all info Call {213)725-3080
HihiiHililifiM I
Gemini-lOX, 120 CPS, 80 Col., fric-
tion & tractor feed, (parallel) .SCall
Gemini-15, above w/1 5" platen.Call
Delta-10, New! Like 10-X but with
a faster speed of 160 CPS .SCall
FX-80. 160 CPS, 80 Col., friction &
tractor feed, parallel Call
FX-100, 160 CPS, 132 Col., friction
& tractor feed, parallel Call
RX-80. MX- 80F/T, M X-100...Call
3550 Spinwriter, 30 CPS, 203 Col.,
letterquality, (Parallel). . . S1,850
Tractor for NEC 3550 S245
8023A, 10 CPS, 80co l.,par..S385
8510AP Prowriter, 120 CPS, 80 col.,
graphics,(Parallel) SCall
1550 Prowriter-ll,120CPS, 136 col.,
2K buffer, graphics. (parallel) . SCall
120 CPS, 9x9 matrix, tractor/fric-
tion feed, comp act', (parallel) . $389
Super dot-matrix printer w/24-pin
hi-resolution head. 192 CPS draft,
100 CPS letter-quality (parallel) Scall
ML-S2A, 120 CPS, 80 col, pin &
friction feed, serial & parallel .S3 79
ML-83A. 120 CPS, 136 col., tractor
& friction feed, parallel/serial .5629
ML-84P, 200 CPS, 136 col., friction
& tractor feed, (parallel) . . , .$989
ML-92P, 1 60 CPS, 80 col ., friction
& tractor feed, (parallel) . . , .S499
ML-93P, 160 CPS, 136 col., tractor.
& friction feed, ( parallel). . . .$84f '
BSaEM
IDS Prism 80C, 200 CPS, 80 col., 4-
cofor, graphics, friction/tractor feed,
sheet feeder, (parallel) , , . $1,259
IDS Prism 132C, above but 132 col.
Parallel $1,495
New! 23 CPS daisywheel printer w/
2 color printing, 3K buffer, propor-
tional spacing, etc. Parallel. S769
EIH3aaS'lEXP-550
16 CPS daisywheel printer, bi direc-
tional printing, proportional and in-
cremental spacing. Parallel . S649
HEEaaa
40 CPS daisy wheel (parallel) Si, 089
55 CPS daisywheel (parallel) $1,349
EEESEsa
13 CPS daisywheel printer, 2-color
printing, 3K buffer, (parallel) .SCall
EHEEa
18 CPS daisywheel, 13" platen, 2K
buffer, 3-pitch, (parallel). . . .S539
A super daisywheel printer w/ultra
fast 80 CPS printing speed, plus
many outstanding features $2,095
t3ME3E3Em
The intelligent letter-quality printer
w/48K built-in buffer memory, 17
CPS, bi-directional, auto margin jus-
tification, universal interfaces $1,059
EmiiaTTx-1014
TTX-1014, 12 CPS daisywheel with
built-in tractor adjustable 2%-14W,
Parallel & serial inte rfaces . . $519
TTX-3000
Smart Terminal
Built-in text edit &
graphic capability.
:ign for upgrad-
to stand-alone
^computer, word
processing &
telecom sys-
. 80x25 line swivel screen,10 func-
tion keys & numeric keypad. . $549
■Complete w/1014 printer . . . S999
you at an unbelievable price
.... is the famous daisywhee,
printer that sets the industry
standard for reliability & dura-
bility. 16 CPS, bi-directional &
proportional spacing. 10,12,15
pitch. Uses standard typewriter
ribbon. 1614" paper. Parallel
interface. We have purchased a
huge quantity of .
, « rin ='°{j>599
Multi-Function
Cards for
IBM PC and XT
New Low PricesI
(Each card now comes w/ «- - ~ —
SuperDrive&SuperSpool) ESt '-' '' I
Six-function card with 64K-384K RAM memory, Parallel port. Serial port,
Optional Game port, Clock-Calendar,"SuperDrive & SuperSpool Software.
Memory installed on card - none 64K 128K 192K 256K 320K 384K
with paralle, serial ports & Clock $227 S2B7 $317 $367 $417 $467 S517
above plus game port $262 $302 S352 $402 $452 $502 $552
EEMTIFffl
Amount of memory installed on board ■— None 64 K 128K 192K 256K
w/seriat port No. 1 & clock - $226 $266 $316 $366 $416
w/either parallel or serial port No. 2 S274 $314 $364 S414 $464
w/both parallel & serial port No. 2 S309 $349 $399 $449 $499
MegaPak- - (128K) $199 (256K) $299
Standard card w/one serial port (SI) and clock/calendar $129
Additional Parallel (P), Game (G), or Serial 2 (S2) port add $35 ea.
TE\ E Wk nS S W\ Mi I QUADBOARD - Multi-Function board for
IWilrAlPJftijalkil IBM-PC. Full parity checkings, memory selec-
^M^jAflMU tive addressing. w/QSpool & QDrive software.
Amount of memory installed on card none 64K 128K 192K 256K
with parallel, serial ports, clock/calendar-— $235 $275 S325 $375 $425
Roland DXY-800 Plotter
8-pen intellegent X-Y plotter. High
speed 180mm/sec. IBM-PC compati-
ble. 11"x17" paper size. Dual speed
switch. Both parallel & serial interface.
Intro special $795
EASTERN ENTERPRISES, INC. r
Mass Merchandising Since 1969 r™
2937 S. VAIL AVE., LOS ANGELES, CALIF. 90040
HALF HEIGHT DISK DRIVES
for Apple II and Franklin Ace
Super 5 (ALPS) 40- track, SS . S199
Super 5 (Teac) 40 track, SS . . $239
Super 5 (Teac) double sided . . $339
Control card for SS drive $59
Control card for DS drive .... $69
Bsasnsa
BMC BM-AU9191MU, 13" RGB
color, 640-dot. 16 color . . . S449
Princeton HX-12, 12" RGB color,
690-dot hi resolution. Sale $479
Amdek RGB Color II Plus, 640-dot.
16 colors $459
Quadchrome, 12" RGB Color, 690-
dot. S569
Zenith ZVM 134 RGB Color .$399
nsEEaEESzmj
Dynax GM-120, 12" green, 600 line.
20MHz. ListS200 $129
USI PI-2, 12" green, 1,000 line, 20
MHz S155
Taxan KG-12N, 12" green 800-dot,
List S199.00 S149
B—gBB
Amdek 310A, 12" amber, 720-dot,
runs on IBM monochrome card
& multi-display cards only .$179
Dynax AM121, 12" umber, 600-dot
20 MHz. List $250. , . . S149
Taxan KA12N, 12" amber, 800-dot,
List $205.00 $150
USI PI-3, 12" amber, 1,000-dot,
20Mhz .$169
Tandon TM-100-1 SSDD 160K ,$159
Tandon TM-100-2, DSDD 320K $225
Tandon Half-Height,DSDD 320KS219
TEAC 55B Half ht. DSDD 320K $225
Control Datafullht.DSDD 32QK$235
QUME half height DSDD 320K . $229
■ half ht. DSDD320K .S189
IBM PC& XT COMPUTERS
Calf for price & availa bility
ESEES3HE3B
WordStar $495 S269
MailMerge S250 S149
SpellStar S250 S149
Wordstar Professional S489
Infostar S299
1-2-3 (Req. OS drive). .S495 CALL
dBASE II S700 S395
Financial Planner S489
Friday $199
Bottom Line Strategist .... S295
Home AccountantPlus. $150 S99
TKISolver 5 299 S219
Multiplan S275 S175
PFS: File. $95
PFS: Report S85
Versaform $389 $249
PeachPak (GL/AR/AP). $395 S239
Peach Text 5000 S237
The Tax Manager . . . .$250 S179
VisiCalc/256K $250 S169
Real Estate Analyzer . .$250 S189
SuperCalc I $295 S115
SuperCalc II $295 $175
Spell Guard S195 $119
Super Writer S295 S185
Colunbia & Compaq
Call for price & details
Circle 145 on Inquiry card.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 473
Event Queue-
February 20-23
Arabian Productivity Ad-
vancement Using Computers/
Graphics, APAC '84> Inter-
Continental Hotel, Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia. This is the first
international conference and
exposition on computer
graphics to be held in Saudi
Arabia. Industry and govern-
ment representatives from
Middle Eastern and Western
nations will attend. For infor-
mation, contact APAC '84
Conference Director, World
Computer Graphics Associa-
tion Inc., Suite 399, 2033 M
St. NW, Washington, DC
20036, (202) 775-9556.
February 21-23
Softcon, Superdome, New
Orleans, LA. This interna-
tional software conference
and trade fair is designed for
retailers, independent sales
organizations, consultants,
government agencies, educa-
tional institutions, and pro-
fessional software develop-
ers. Registration is $15. For in-
formation, contact Northeast
Expositions, 822 Boylston St.,
Chestnut Hill, MA 02167,
(800) 841-7000; in Massachu-
setts, (617) 739-2000.
February 22-28
Imprinta 84, Fairgrounds,
Dusseldorf, West Germany.
This international congress
and exhibition will feature
techniques and services in
print communication and its
alternatives. For details, con-
tact Dusseldorf Trade Shows,
500 Fifth Ave., New York, NY
10110, (212) 840-7744.
February 23-24
Computers in Construction,
Orlando, FL. For details, see
January 26-27.
February 23-26
Technology, Entertainment,
Design Communications
Conference, Conference
Center, Monterey, CA. Audio
and visual presentations
documenting technological
advances and their usage in
communications processes
will be presented at this con-
ference. Registration fees are
$475. Contact Judi Skalsky,
T. E. D. Communications
Conference, 635 Westbourne
Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90069,
(213) 854-6307.
February 27-March 2
MICAD '84, Paris, France.
An exhibition associated with
the MICAD biennial confer-
ence will be held for the first
time. This event also marks
the tenth anniversary of
MICADO, the French Com-
puter Graphics Association.
MICAD will provide an op-
portunity for manufacturers
of computer graphics hard-
ware and software to make
contact with the rapidly
growing French computer-
graphics market. For infor-
mation, contact Caby Smith,
World Computer Graphics
Association Inc., Suite 399,
2033 M St. NW, Washington,
DC 20036, (202) 775-9556. In
Europe, contact MICADO,
ZIRSX Chemin de Pre Carre,
38240 Meylan, France; tel:
(76) 90-31-90; Telex: 980882 F.
February 27-March 2
Welcome to the World of Per-
sonal Computing, Fort Lau-
derdale, FL. This workshop
serves as a comprehensive
introduction to the uses of
microcomputer technology
in business, industry, and
government. Six modules,
ranging from user produc-
tivity to software reliability,
are on the agenda. For fur-
ther information, contact
Keston Associates, 11317 Old
Club Rd., Rockville, MD
20852, (301) 881-7666.
February 28-29
The Twelfth Annual Mid-
west Digital Equipment Ex-
hibit and Seminar, Thunder-
bird Motel, Minneapolis,
MN. More than 100 manufac-
turers of computer terminals,
data communications equip-
ment, peripherals, data-ac-
quisition systems, and digital
test instruments will display
their products. Admission to
both the exhibits and semi-
nars is free of charge. For
more details, contact Coun-
tryman Associates Co., 1821
University Ave., St. Paul,
MN 55104, (612) 645-9151.
February 28-March 1
The Annual Computer Fair
of the Computer Society of
Bermuda, Princess Hotel,
Southampton, Bermuda.
The theme for this event is
"Bermuda— The International
Offshore Software Mart."
Seminars, demonstrations,
presentations, and vendor
exhibits will highlight this
show. For full details, contact
James H. Young Jr., Com-
puter Society of Bermuda,
POB 1479, Hamilton 5, Ber-
muda, (809) 2957111.
Feb man/ 28-March 2
The Air Force Conference on
Technology in Training and
Education, School of Health
Care Sciences, Sheppard Air
Force Base, TX. This confer-
ence will explore technology
in aerospace applications,
technical training, and edu-
cation with emphasis on cur-
rent developments in the
Department of Defense. Top-
ics of discussion include
computer-generated simula-
tions and training aids and
innovative uses of interactive
video disks. For information,
contact Captain Jim Camp-
bell, SHCS/USAF/MSSA,
SAFB Wichita Falls, TX 76311,
(817) 851-6461.
March 1984
March 8-9
Computers in Construction,
San Diego, CA. For details,
see January 26-27.
March 8-10
The Role of the Microcom-
puter in Education IV, Ar-
lington Park Hilton, Arling-
ton Heights, IL. In-depth
seminars and sessions cover-
ing a wide range of educa-
tional topics make up this
conference. Further informa-
tion is available from Rick
Nelson, Micro-Ideas, 1335
North Waukegan Rd., Glen-
view, IL 60025, (312) 998-5065.
March 12-14
Auditing and Controlling
Microcomputers, Houston,
TX. This seminar reviews the
technology behind micro-
computers and shows how
they can be used by an audi-
tor for practice management
or as a tool in an audit en-
gagement. For a course out-
line, contact Miriam Hoyt,
MIS Training Institute Inc., 4
Brewster Rd., Framingham,
MA 01701, (617) 879-7999.
March 12-15
Interface '84, Convention
Center, Las Vegas, NV, For
details on this twelfth annual
data communications/infor-
mation-processing confer-
ence and exposition, contact
the Interface Group Inc., 300
First Ave., Needham, MA
02194, (800) 325-3330; in Mas-
sachusetts, (617) 449-6600.
March 13-25
Micro/SET 84: Microcom-
puter Expo for Scientific,
Engineering, and Technol-
ogy, Engineering Society of
Detroit, MI. Papers empha-
sizing microcomputer appli-
cations in research, design,
engineering, and manufac-
turing will be presented.
Complementing the confer-
ence program will be dis-
plays of scientific, engineer-
ing, and technical microcom-
puter hardware and soft-
ware. For more information,
write to the Conference Man-
ager, Engineering Society of
Detroit, 100 Farnsworth,
Detroit, MI 48202.
March 23-25
Optical Storage of Docu-
ments and Images, Biltmore
Hotel, Los Angeles, CA. Top-
ics to be covered are read-
474 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
write and read-only storage
of analog and digital informa-
tion including office docu-
ments, engineering draw-
ings, and parts catalogs. The
fee is $695 for the first person
from an organization and
$595 for each additional at-
tendee. For more informa-
tion, contact Technology Op-
portunity Conference, POB
14817, San Francisco, CA
94114-0817, (415) 6264133.
March 18-22
Saudicomputer '84— The
Business Computer Show,
al-Dhiafa Exhibition Centre,
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For in-
formation, contact Philip Jen-
kinson, Saudicomputer '84,
Overseas Exhibition Services
Ltd., 11 Manchester Square,
London W1M5AB, England;
tel: 01-486 1951; Telex: 24591
Montex G.
March 19-22
Automated Manufacturing
Conference and Exhibition
(AM84), Textile Hall, Green-
ville, SC. The latest auto-
mated manufacturing tech-
nologies will be the focus of
this combination exhibition
and seminar. Representatives
from more than 200 firms are
expected. Complete details
about the conference can be
obtained from the AM84
Registration Control Center,
POB 5616, Station B, Green-
ville, SC 29606, (803) 242-3170,
ext. 260. Details about the ex-
hibition are available from
AM84, POB 5823, Greenville,
SC 29606, (803) 233-2562.
March 19-22
The Eighth Annual Federal
Office Systems Expo (FOSE
'84), Convention Center,
Washington, DC. The theme
for this year's expo is the
"Realities of Integration:
Technologies, Applications,
Human Resources/' More
than 60 conference sessions
and 1200 exhibits are
planned. Address inquiries
to Jacqueline Voigt, National
Trade Productions, 9418 An-
napolis Rd., Lanham, MD
20706, (800) 638-8510; in
Maryland, (301) 459-8383.
March 22-23
Computers in Construction,
New York, NY. For details,
see January 26-27
March 26-28
The Seventh International
Conference on Software En-
gineering, Orlando, FL. This
conference seeks to evaluate
what has been learned from
the past and to provide direc-
tions for future investigations
in software engineering. Its
theme is "Fifteen Years of
Software Engineering: Re-
sults and Futures." A soft-
ware tools fair will be held
concurrently. Contact the
IEEE Computer Society, POB
639, Silver Spring, MD 20901,
(301) 589-3386.
March 26-30
The Sixth NC Industrial
Automation and Robot Con-
ference and Exhibition,
Milan Fair, Milan, Italy. Con-
trols for automated material
handling, variable mission
manufacturing systems, and
quality control will be fea-
tured. A concurrent confer-
ence consisting of 20 sessions
will be presented. For more
information, contact the So-
ciety of Mechanical Engi-
neers, One SME Dr., POB
930, Dearborn, MI 48121,
(313) 271-0023.
March 28-30
The Sixth Annual Computer
Graphics Conference, Doral
Hotel On-the-Ocean, Miami
Beach, FL. The theme for this
conference is "Forecasts and
Assessments/' Further details
are available from Carol Sap-
chin, Frost & Sullivan Inc.,
106 Fulton St., New York, NY
10038, (212) 233-1080.
March 30-31
Third Annual Conference on
Communication Technol-
ogy, Joseph Stokes Auditori-
um, Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia, PA. This pro-
gram presents advances in
technology and treatment al-
ternatives for physically han-
dicapped and speech im-
paired persons. Speakers,
equipment demonstrations,
and workshops are planned.
The two-day registration fee
is $95, which includes all
course materials. If your reg-
istration request is post-
marked before March 10, the
fee is reduced by $10. Group
rates are offered. For full par-
ticulars, contact Joan Bruno,
Children's Seashore House,
4100 Atlantic Ave., POB 4111,
Atlantic City, NJ 08404, (609)
345-5191, ext. 278.
March 30-April 1
The NY Personal Computer
Show, Exposition Rotunda,
Madison Square Garden,
New York City. Formerly
called the Eighty/Apple/PC
Computer Show, this event
will feature products and ser-
vices for all small computer
systems. More than 240 ex-
hibitors are expected. Com-
plete show details can be ob-
tained from the Kengore
Corp., POB 13, Franklin Park,
NJ 08823, (201) 297-2526. ■
In order to gain optimal coverage of your organization's com-
puter conferences, seminars, workshops, courses, etc., notice
should reach our office at least three months in advance of the
date of the event. Entries should be sent to: Event Queue,
BYTE Publications, POB 372, Hancock, IMH 03449. Each month
we publish the current contents of the queue for the month of
the cover date and the two following calendar months. Thus a
given event may appear as many as three times in this section
if it is sent to us far enough in advance.
WHY PAY
TAIL?
DM-2112 GREEN 12"
DM-2212 AMBER 12"
DM-8112 GREEN 12"
DM-8212 AMBER 12"
DMC6500 RGB 13"
AVM-196 RGB 19"
AVM-255 RGB 25"
zoom
$ 89 Z-29 TERMINAL $676
$107 ZVM-123 GREEN 12" $ 88
$168 ZVM-122 AMBER 12" $113
$178
$346 STAR HICROWICS FRDflERS
$626 GEMINI 10X $275
$787 GEMINI 15X $428
ZOOM MODEMS FOB APPLE
$168 NETWORKER $115
$185 NEIMASTER $ 69
$208 NETWORK/NETMASTER $149
$325
$349 SILVER REED PRDfTERS
$349 500P/500S $432/$467
$1199 550P/550S $648/$675
$1399 CALL FDR $ AMDEK, NEC...
fAHASQMK
TR-120MIP GR. 12"
TR-120MDP AMB. 12«
CT-160 COL/BW 10"
DTD-1000G RGB 10"
DTD-1300G KJB 13"
KX-P1090 PRINTER
KX-P1160 PRBHER
VP-6801A PLOTTER
TERMS: COD - FUEJOH CttlECT - CHARGE CARD
CUSTOMERS AM) **% - $1 PHONE CALL BEBATE W/ORDER.
(301)662-1317
COMPUTER
WHOLESALERS
of FREDERICK
A DIVISION OF TESCO CORP.
1030 W. Patrick Street Frederick, MD 21701
Circle 76 on inquiry card.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 475
Books Received
Apple II BASIC-Quick
Reference Guide, Gilbert Held.
New York: John Wiley &
Sons, 1983; 1 page, 15.5 by
30 cm, fold-out card, ISBN 0-
471-87039-0, $2.95.
Atari BASIC— Quick Refer-
ence Guide, Gilbert Held.
New York: John Wiley &
Sons, 1983; 1 page, 15.5 by
30 cm, fold-out card, ISBN 0-
471-87041-2, $2.95.
Catching up with the Com-
puter Revolution, Lynn M.
Salerno, ed. New York: John
Wiley & Sons, 1983; 544
pages, 17 by 24 cm, hard-
cover, ISBN 0-471-87594-5,
$22.95.
The Compleat Computer, 2nd
ed. Dennie and Cynthia Van
Tassel. Chicago, IL: Science
Research Associates, 1983;
282 pages, 30.5 by 22.5 cm,
softcover, ISBN 0-574-
21415-1, $14.95.
Computer Images, State of the
Art, Joseph Deken. New
York: Stewart, Tabori &
Chang Publishers Inc., 1983;
200 pages, 24.8 by 24.8 cm,
softcover, ISBN 0-941434-
40-0, $16.95.
Data and File Management
for the IBM Personal Compute?;
John P. Grillo and J. D.
Robertson. Dubuque, IA:
Wm. C. Brown Company
Publishers, 1983; 208 pages,
21.3 by 28 cm, spiral-bound,
ISBN 0-697-09987-3, $16.95.
. Database Design, 2nd ed.
Gio Wiederhold. New York:
McGraw-Hill, 1983; 767
pages, hardcover, ISBN 0-07-
070132-6, $32.
Designing With Program-
mable Array Logic, 2nd ed.
The Technical Staff of
Monolithic Memories Inc.
New York: McGraw-Hill,
1983; 690 pages, 19.5 by 24.5
cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-07-
042723-2, $32.95.
Electronic Instrumentation
and Measurements, David A.
Bell. Reston, VA: Reston Pub-
lishing Co., 1983; 544 pages,
18.5 by 24 cm, hardcover,
ISBN 0-8359-1669-3, $25.95.
Fifty 1K/2K Games for the
ZX-81 and Timex Sinclair 1000,
Alastair Gourlay, James
Walsh, and Paul Holmes.
Reston, VA: Reston Publish-
ing Co., 1982; 112 pages, 15.8
by 23.5 cm, hardcover, ISBN
0-8359-1979-X, $10.95.
54 Visicalc Models, Robert
H. Flast. Berkeley, CA:
Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 1983;
288 pages, 21 by 275 cm, soft-
cover, ISBN 0-33134-100-2,
$12.95.
Free to Teach, Achieving Equi-
ty and Excellence in Schools, Joe
Nathan. New York: Pilgrim
Press, 1983; 201 pages, 16 by
25 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-
8298-0657-1, $14.95.
IBM PC BASIC-Quick Ref-
erence Guide, Gilbert Held.
New York: John Wiley &
Sons, 1983; 1 page, 15.5 by 30
cm, fold-out card, ISBN 0-
471-87042-0, $2.95.
Image Sequence Processing
and Dynamic Scene Analysis,
T. S. Huang, ed. New York:
Springer-Verlag Inc., 1983;
760 pages, 17 by 25 cm, hard-
cover, ISBN 0-387-11997-3,
$59.20.
Interfacing to Microproces-
sors, J. C. Cluley. New York:
McGraw-Hill, 1983; 168
pages, 16 by 24 cm, hard-
cover, ISBN 0-07-011409-9,
$24.50.
Intermediate-Level Apple II
Handbook, David L. Heiser-
man. Indianapolis, IN:
Howard W. Sams & Co.,
1983; 328 pages, 15.3 by 23
cm, spiral-bound, ISBN 0-
672-21889-5, $16.95.
International Microcomputer
Dictionary, Berkeley, CA:
Sybex, 1981; 142 pages, 10.5
by 16.5 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-
89588-067-9, $3.95.
The Intimate Machine, Close
Encounters with Computers and
Robots, Neil Frude. New York:
New American Library, 1983;
256 pages, 14.5 by 22.5 cm,
hardcover, ISBN 0-453-00450-
4, $15.50.
Introduction to Graphics for
the IBM Personal Computer,
John P. Grillo and J. D.
Robertson. Dubuque, IA:
Wm. C. Brown Company
Publishers, 1983; 144 pages,
21.3 by 28 cm, spiral-bound,
ISBN 0-697-09989-X, $15.95.
M6805 HMOS M146805
CMOS Family, 2nd ed.
Motorola. Englewood Cliffs,
NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1983; 272
pages, 17.5 by 23.5 cm, soft-
cover, ISBN 0-13-541375-3,
$17.95.
Machine & Assembly Lan-
guage Programming, David C.
Alexander. Blue Ridge Sum-
mit, PA: Tab Books, 1982; 210
pages, 13 by 21 cm, softcover,
ISBN 0-8306-1389-7, $9.95.
Managing the Data-Base En-
vironment, James Martin.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Pren-
tice-Hall, 1983; 784 pages, 19
by 24 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-
Protect your computer
from high voltage power surge
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EXPIRATION DATE
NAME
ADDRESS
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.STATE ZIP_
mail to: Computronix Corporation
BOX 1425
MELVILLE, N.Y. 11 747
BASIC* Features
A powerful extension of Applesoft BASIC for engineers, scien-
tists and students. Some of the BASIC* features are:
• BUILT-IN COMPLEX ARITHMETIC
Replaces Applesoft integer variables with complex variables for
built-in complex arithmetic capabilities.
• BUILT-IN COMPLEX FUNCTIONS
Useful functions for complex arithmetic like CSQRT, CEXP.
CABS and CLOG are available. Several complex/real and
real/complex functions are standard.
• POWERFUL EXTENDED HI-RES COMMANDS
Area oriented byte graphic capabilities for pixel manipulation,
image magnification, inter-scteen and intm-screen image tmnsla-
tion, and screen/memory data movement. Commands for screen
switching and displays, and clearing screens to different
background colors.
• PROGRAMMABLE CHARACTER SETS
Instead of the standard text screen, hi-res screens can be used
for upper/lower cases and for mixed graphic modes. Program-
mable character sets for foreign language alphabets, variable
fonts and animation applications.
• VARIABLE PITCH SCREEN PRINTING
Variable pitch printing capabilities permit printing 40 to 70
characters per line.
Several application programs (like FFT, EQUATION SOLVER)
are contained in the BASIC* diskette to illustrate the powerful
features of the language.
Requires APPLE II 711 Plus with a I6K memory card or APPLE
HE and one disk drive.
Price: $60 + $2 shipping and handling + 6% tax for Califor-
nia residents. We accept checks, Visa or Master Card.
Contact SS. Reddi, Softesmythe Software,
1000 W. Mac Arthur U9,
Santa Ana, CA 92707
Phone: 714-540-1644 or 714-660-0167
FOR GREATER SAVINGS
NEC 8200
Portable Computer
SAVE 25%
LIST $799
OUR PRICE
$ 599.25
OKIDATA 92A SAVE 40%
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All orders shipped immediately. Add 3%
for shipping & insurance (Foreign orders
add 10%). Add 4% for VISA/MC/ Ameri-
can Express.
NEVADA COMPUTER
(702)451-9275
Box 50030, Henderson NV 89015
Circle 493 on inquiry card.
Circle 494 on inquiry card.
Circle 495 on inquiry card.
13-550582-8, $49.95.
Messner's Introduction to the
Compute?', Fred D'Ignazio.
New York: Simon &
Schuster, 1983; 288 pages,
14.5 by 21.5 cm, hardcover,
ISBN 0-671-42267-7, $10.29.
Microcomputer Interfacing,
Harold S. Stone. Reading,
MA: Addison-Wesley, 1983;
400 pages, 16.5 by 24 cm,
hardcover, ISBN 0-201-07403-
6, $32.95.
Microelectronics and Office
Jobs, Diane Werneke. Wash-
ington, DC: International
Labor Office, 1983; 108 pages,
16 by 24 cm, softcover, ISBN
92-2-103278-7, $10.
Modern Methods for COBOL
Programmers, John R. Pugh
and Doug H. Bell. Engle-
wood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-
Hall, 1983; 224 pages, 16 by
24 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-13-
595215-8, $17.95.
Photovoltaics, Robert G .
Seippel. Reston, VA: Reston
Publishing Co., 1983; 256
pages, 18 by 24 cm, hard-
cover, ISBN 0-8359-5538-9,
$22.95.
Practical Digital Design Us-
ing ICs, 2nd ed. Joseph D.
Greenfield. New York: John
Wiley & Sons, 1983; 736
pages, 16.5 by 24.5 cm, hard-
cover, ISBN 0-471-05791-6,
$26.95.
Programming in Pascal, C.
William Gear. Chicago, IL:
Science Research Associates,
1983; 256 pages, 18.5 by 23.5
cm, softcover, ISBN 0-574-
21360-0, $14.95.
Programming the IBM Per-
sonal Computer: Fortran 77,
Robert Rouse and Thomas
Bugnitz. New York: Holt,
Rinehart and Winston, 1983;
256 pages, 17.5 by 23.3 cm,
softcover, ISBN 0-03-062042-
2, $35.95.
Programming Your Atari
Computer, Mark Thompson.
Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Tab
Books, 1983; 280 pages, 13 by
21 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-
8306-1453-2, $10.95.
Software Engineering for
Small Computers, R. B. Coats.
Reston, VA: Reston Publish-
ing Co., 1982; 256 pages, 18
by 24 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-
8359-7026-4, $24.95.
Strategies for Natural Lan-
guage Processing, Wendy G.
Lehnert and Martin H.
Ringle, eds. Hillsdale, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associ-
ates Inc., 1983; 560 pages, 16
by 23.5 cm, hardcover, ISBN
0-89859-191-0, $49.95.
A Structured Approach to
Fortran, J. Winston Crawley
and Charles E. Miller. Res-
ton, VA: Reston Publishing
Co., 1983; 766 pages, 19 by 24
cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-8359-
7092-2, $16.95.
Techniques of BASIC for the
IBM Personal Computer, John
P. Grillo and J. D. Robertson.
Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown
Company Publishers, 1983;
270 pages, 21.3 by 28 cm,
spiral-bound, ISBN 0-697-
08276-8, $18.95.
Useful BASIC Programs for
the IBM PC, Stanley R. Trost.
Berkeley, CA: Sybex, 1983;
192 pages, 14 by 21 cm, soft-
cover, ISBN 0-89588-111-X,
$8.95.
User's Guide with Applica-
tions for the IBM Personal Com-
puter, John P. Grillo and J. D.
Robertson. Dubuque, IA:
Wm. C. Brown Company
Publishers, 1983; 272 pages,
21.3 by 28 cm, spiral-bound,
ISBN 0-697-09985-7, $17.95.
Using and Troubleshooting
the MC68000, James' W. Cof-
fron. Reston, VA: Reston
Publishing Co., 1983; 224
pages, 15.5 by. 23.5 cm, hard-
cover, ISBN 0-8359-8158-4,
$21.95.
VisiCalc Advanced Version,
Worksheets for Business, Van
Wolverton. San Jose, CA:
Visicorp, 1983; 256 pages, 19
by 23 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-
912213-00-0, $18.95.
VisiCalc for Science and Engi-
neering, Stanley R. Trost and
Charles Pomernacki. Berke-
ley, CA: Sybex, 1983; 224
pages, 17.7 by 22.8 cm, soft-
cover, ISBN 0-89588-096-2,
$13.95.
What Can I Do With My
Timex/Sinclair 1000? Lots!,
Roger Valentine. New York:
John Wiley & Sons, 1983; 164
pages, 17 by 25.5 cm, soft-
cover, ISBN 0-471-88730-7,
$9.95.
Z80 Applications, James W.
Coffron. Berkeley, CA:
Sybex, 1983; 320 pages, 17.5
by 22.5 cm, softcover, ISBN0-
89588-094-6, $14.95. ■
This is a list of books
received at BYTE Publica-
tions during this past
month. Although the list
is not meant to be exhaus-
tive, its purpose is to ac-
quaint BYTE readers with
recently published titles in
computer science and re-
lated fields. \X/e regret
that we cannot review or
comment on all the books
we receive; instead, this
list is meant to be a
monthly acknowledgment
of these books and the
publishers who sent them.
Extended Processing SI 00 Boards
BURNER I/O
The BURNER I/O is a full feature multifunc-
tion S100/IEEE-696 board. It has a complete
EPROM programmer, 2 Serial ports, parallel
output port, parallel input port and memory
management. Programs 2704 thru 2764,
2508, 251 6 and TMS2716 EPROMS. Menu
driven disk based software supplied in 4K EPROM that is easily loaded on your
disk. Zero insertion force programming socket. Totally I/O mapped. Serial ports
are independent and support hardware handshaking. Baud rates from 50-19,200.
Serial ports are software programmable. Seperate parallel input and output ports
with full handshaking plus 4 direct sense bits. Memory management controls the
S-100 address lines A16-A23.
The board is offered in various configurations. In all versions it is fully assembled
and tested.
Option A: Complete board with programmer, I/O and memory
management, $354.95
Option B: Programmer only, $219.95
Option C: I/O only (2S + P), $219.95
Option D: Options B and C, $329.95
Option E: Memory management only, $109.95
Memory management may be added to Options B and C for $25.00
POWER I/O
The POWER I/O is a high performance slave
computer that is a complete system includ-
ing all hardware, software and documenta-
tion. It is guaranteed to operate properly with
any S-100/IEEE-696 system. The POWER I/O
sets a new standard in flexibility, ease of
integration, expandability and performance. It is designed with the future in mind.
All I/O and memory may be doubled with the addition of our POWER I/O add-on.
Memory can be quadrupled when the 256k rams are available. The standard soft-
ware supports 6 serial ports, 2 parallel ports and 512K of ram.
The basic board consists of a 4MHz Z80A, 64K DRAM, 3 serial (8251 A) I/O ports,
baud rates to 1 9,200. Hardware, ETX, ACK and X-on/X-off handshaking, 1 parallel
port, timer, 6 programmable delays, high speed parallel I/O to host, complete
POWER I/O software in 4K EPROM (expandable to 8K). On board software is de-
signed for maximum flexibility and ease of use. Supports user written programs.
Complete documentation including source code, schematics and many software
interface examples.
The POWER I/O add-on has 3 additional serial ports, 1 parallel port and
64K DRAM.
POWER I/O: $375.00
64K RAM ADD-ON: $175.00
3 SERIAL, 1 PARALLEL ADD-ON: $195.00
RAM AND I/O ADD-ON: $295.00
ep extended Processing 3861 Woodcreek Lane ■ San Jose, California, 95117 ■ (408)249-8248
Circle 158 on inquiry card.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 477
Clubs and Newsletters
Exchanges via
Newsletter
Electronics Projects is a
newsletter for the exchange
of projects, technical articles,
software, computer applica-
tions, programming tips, and
money-making opportuni-
ties. All members of the Elec-
tronics Projects Club can re-
ceive free advertising and are
encouraged to submit articles
in any electronics area. A $15
membership fee includes a
subscription to eight issues of
Electronics Projects. For infor-
mation, send a self-ad-
dressed, stamped envelope
to Kamenar Enterprises, POB
186, Hatboro, PA 19040.
Unigroup of
Manhattan
Unigroup is a nonprofit
organization for users of the
Unix operating system and
its related products that
meets in the New York
metropolitan area. Meetings
are held every two months
and feature speakers who are
prominent in the Unix field.
Membership is $25 a year
and includes a subscription
to the newsletter Unigroup
Journal Nonmembers must
pay $10 to attend meetings,
which are open to all inter-
ested people. Address appli-
cations and inquiries to Uni-
group of New York Inc.,
GPO Box 1931, New York,
NY 10116.
New Englanders
Organize for
Osbornes
The Vermont— New Hamp-
shire Osborne Users Group
(VNHOG) meets once a
month at the Universalist
Church in Woodstock, Ver-
mont. Osborne users and
other interested people are
welcome to attend meetings.
Topics include database-man-
agement programs, Super-
calc spreadsheets, Word-
star-Mailmerge word pro-
cessing, and more. For de-
tails, contact VNHOG, RFD
1, Box 20A, Killington, VT
03751, or call Solveig Overby
at (802) 422-3667.
Monthly Review
for the 64
The 64 Review is a monthly
newsletter for users of the
Commodore 64 personal
computer. Features of the
newsletter are a question-
and-answer column, pro-
grams, a technical column,
information on graphics and
sound, and more. Annual
subscriptions are $11.95.
Sample issues cost $2.50. For
further information, write to
The 64 Review, POB 322,
Livermore, CA 94550.
IBM PC Users
Meet In Fresno
The Fresno IBM PC Users
Club meets monthly in
Fresno, California, to discuss
intricacies of the PC. The
club's newsletter announces
the times and locations of
future meetings, contains a
trade column, and informs
users of the IBM PC about
events of interest. For further
details, contact R. Betan-
court, Fresno IBM PC Users
Club, 6750 North Woodrow
Ave., Fresno, CA 93710.
Tribune
for CP/M Users
The CP/M Houston Users
Group, an active group in
Houston, Texas, produces a
newsletter called the CP/M
Houston Tribune. The group
seeks to educate its members
about communications, pub-
lic-domain software, and
video microbroadcasting of
software. Other interests in-
clude expanding the uses of
CP/M-based systems regard-
less of brands and sharing ac-
tivities with other user
groups. For details on meet-
ings and fees, contact Thom-
as McCormick, CP/M Hous-
ton Users Group, Box 570473,
Houston, TX 77257-0473, or
call (713) 975-6061.
Computer Cost
Estimating
Micapp Inc. (Microcom-
puter Assisted Process Plan-
ning) produces the Micapp
Newsletter bimonthly for
people in the metal-working
industry who use microcom-
puters to perform engineer-
ing tasks. Listings for applica-
tions such as cost estimating
and process planning for
turning, drilling, milling,
boring, and grinding are in-
cluded. Subscriptions cost
$37.50 a year in the U.S. and
$47.50 in Canada and abroad.
For details, contact Micapp
Inc., 16956 230th Ave., Big
Rapids, MI 49307, or call (616)
796-6637.
For the Alpha Micro
The Southern California
Alpha Micro Users Society
(SC/AMUS) meets on the
second Sunday of every
month (except holidays) from
1 to 3 p.m. at the Fullerton
Savings and Loan, 12860
Euclid in Garden Grove,
California. Membership dues
are $22 the first year and $12
thereafter for annual renewal
of the newsletter. Nonmem-
bers can receive the newslet-
ter for $6 a year; back issues
are available. For informa-
tion, contact Bob Alex, 17632
Fiesta Way, Santa Ana, CA
92705, or call (714) 669-0360.
Comprehensive
Tandy Group
The Tandy Business Users
Group (T-BUG) meets on the
third Wednesday of every
month in the Chicago metro-
politan area to discuss appli-
cations for the TRS-80
Models II, 12, 16,andl6B. A
newsletter, T-BUG, is pro-
duced and is included with
the $25 annual membership.
It contains information on
past and future meetings,
software reviews, and a con-
sultant's column. For details,
contact Carlos Hidalgo, 311
Long view Rd., Waukegan, IL
60087, or call (312) 623-9661.
Central Jersey Users
The Central Jersey IBM/PC
Users (CJPC) is a group de-
signed for users to exchange
information about the IBM
PC. For information, contact
Howard Dean, CJPC, POB
8280, Red Bank, NJ 07701,
(201) 842-5800.
TS User Newsletter
TS User is a monthly news-
letter for users of the Timex/
Sinclair microcomputer and
its products. It includes hard-
ware, software, and book re-
views, editorials, and other
columns for improved appli-
cations. Annual subscrip-
tions are $16.95 for 12 issues;
$25 outside the U.S. and
Canada. TS User is available
from Yagsee, POB 155, Vicks-
burg, MI 49097.
Osborne Group
In Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Regional
Osborne Group (PHROG)
478 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
meets monthly in the Lans-
dale area outside Philadel-
phia to serve those interested
in increasing the scope of
their Osborne-related en-
deavors. A newsletter is
planned. For details, contact
Joe Gervase, PHROG, Box
340, Lamplighter Plaza,
Kulpsville, PA 19443, or call
(215) 362-1888.
Meet In Miami
The Miami PC User Group
meets bimonthly to share ex-
periences and knowledge in
the current and future uses
of the IBM PC at home and
at the office. Members can
access a private bulletin
board service and a software
library. Annual dues are $20.
For details, contact Eddy
Cue, Miami PC User Group,
6925 Southwest 16 St.,
Miami, FL 33155, or call (305)
262-1891.
Westchester Apples
The Westchester Apple
Users Club meets at 8 p.m.
on the third Wednesday of
each month to discuss topics
of interest to owners of Apple
computers. The meetings are
open to the public. A fee to
cover the cost of club mail-
ings is $11 for adults and $5
for students. For further in-
formation, contact Linda Hal-
pern, 330 High Point Dr.,
Hartsdale, NY 10530, (914)
428-5242.
Engineering
Working Group
Educators interested in
using microcomputers for
engineering purposes are in-
vited to join a nationwide
group and receive a quarter-
ly newsletter. For further in-
formation, write Marilyn
Henry, Microcomputer Engi-
neering Working Group,
George Washington Univer-
sity (SEAS), Washington, DC
20052.
Kaypro Club for
People in Queens
The Peoples Computer (of
Queens) Kaypro Club unites
users and promotes useful
information about the Kay-
pro II. An $8 membership fee
automatically enters mem-
bers into a national database,
and entitles them to receive
a quarterly newsletter. The
Piece ofKayke National Newslet-
ter could become a monthly
newsletter with enough in-
put. For further details, con-
tact Steve Bender, Peoples
Computer (of Queens) Kay-
pro Club, Box 28360, Queens
Village, NY 11428.
Telecommunicate
the News
Plumb is a newsletter that
includes information about
electronic bulletin board sys-
tems and related communi-
cations systems for all types
of computers. Stories include
news and features about soft-
ware downloaders, message
systems, merchandise boards,
and more. For details on cur-
rent subscription prices, con-
tact Plumb, Box 300, Harrods
Creek, KY 40027.
Schools Take Note
CHIME, the newsletter of
the Clearinghouse of Infor-
mation on Microcomputers
in Education, is produced by
the College of Education of
Oklahoma State University. It
contains software reviews
written by teachers about
educational programs for lan-
guages, sciences, mathemat-
ics, statistics, and more. A
one-year subscription is $15;
additional subscriptions
delivered to the same ad-
dress are available for $10 a
year. For details, contact
CHIME, College of Educa-
tion, Oklahoma State Uni-
versity, 108 Gundersen, Still-
water, OK 74048, or call (405)
624-6254. ■
If you would like BYTE readers t o know about your club or
newsletter send the details accompanied by no more than one
newsletter to Clubs and Newsletters, BYTE Publications, POB
372, Hancock, IMH 03449. Overseas groups are encouraged to
participate. Please allow at least three months for your
announcement to appear.
a message to our subscribers
From time to time we make the BYTE subscriber list available to other companies who wish to send our sub-
scribers material about their products. We take great care to screen these companies, choosing only those
who are reputable, and whose products, services, or information we feel would be of interest to you. Direct
ma/I is an efficient medium for presenting the latest personal computer goods and services to our subscribers.
Many BYTE subscribers appreciate this controlled use of our mailing list, and look forward to finding informa-
tion of interest to them In the mail. Used are our subscribers' names and addresses only [no other Informa-
tion we may have is ever given).
While we believe the distribution of this information is of benefit to our subscribers, we firmly respect the
wishes of any subscriber who does not want to receive such promotional literature. Should you wish to
restrict the use of your name, simply send your request to the following address.
BYTE Publications Inc
Attn: Circulation Department
70 Main St
Peterborough NH
03458
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 479
What's New?
SOFTWARE
Time Manager Eyes
Expenditures
Time Manager is just one
of eight programs in Travel-
ing Software's Business
Manager Series for Radio
Shack Model 100 and NEC
PC-8201 computers. This
program records time ex-
penditures for projects,
clients, and, \f desired, by in-
dividual work activity.
Hours worked can be
logged as either billable or
nonbillable with optional
standard billing rates gener-
ated for work activities.
Flexible reporting of sum-
mary information can be
displayed on screen or
printed out in either 40- or
80-column formats.
Time Manager costs
$59.95, which includes a
tutorial notebook and
audiocassette tutorial. The
other programs in the
Business Manager Series
cover appointments, ex-
penses, sales, projects,
taxes, and accountant
books. A communications
program is also available.
For more information, call
or write Traveling Software
Inc., 11050 Fifth Ave. NE,
Seattle, WA 98125, (206)
367-8090.
Circle 550 on inquiry card.
Graphics Package
Announced by
Accent
A graphics creation and
animation package for the
Apple \\ or III has been in-
troduced by Accent Soft-
ware. TGS: The Graphic
Solution combines text and
graphics in a manner that's
similar to cinematic anima-
tion techniques. This pro-
gram provides simple key-
board commands that you
wield to build bit-mapped
shapes, which are used to
create interactive graphics
presentations. TGS lets you
mingle text and graphics on
screen using its resident
character set or your own
fonts. Special graphics com-
mands can be created with
macroinstructions that
enable execution of several
graphics tasks with a single
keystroke. Multiple object
and background, variable
speed animation, dual low-
and high-resolution opera-
tion, single-keystroke edit-
ing, and hidden line anima-
tion are provided.
TGS is fully compatible
with graphics programs
that permit saving high-
resolution screens as stan-
dard Apple \\ DOS 3.3 files.
Its hardware requirements
are 48K bytes of RAM, Ap-
plesoft in ROM, one disk
drive, and a monitor. The
list price is $149.95. A
manual, backup disk, and
demonstration applications
are supplied. A demonstra-
tion disk is available for S10
directly from Accent Soft-
ware Inc., 3750 Wright PI.,
Palo Alto, CA 94306, (415)
856-6505.
Circle 552 on inquiry card.
Program Knocks
Spreadsheets on
Their Side
Sideways lets you print all
the columns ofyour spread-
sheet, all at one time, on
one continuous page. This
program, developed by
Funk Software, causes your
hard copy to print out side-
ways and is compatible
with such spreadsheets as
Lotus 1-2-3, Visicalc, Multi-
plan, and Supercalc. Stan-
dard printing features in-
clude a choice of type sizes
.ranging from compressed
to large, a double-strike
mode, unlimited printing
width, and adjustable char-
acter spacing, line spacing,
margins, and print dimen-
sions. Sideways accepts or-
dinary ASCII textfiles
created by spreadsheets,
word processors, and
editors.
Sideways works with the
IBM Personal Computer. It
supports such printers as
the Epson MX-80/100 and
FX-80/100, IBM Graphics
Printer, Okidata's Microline
series, C.ltoh Prowriter, and
Integral Data Systems'
Prism, 460, and 560. The
suggested retail price is $60.
For more information, con-
tact Funk Software Inc.,
POB 1290, Cambridge, MA
02238, (617) 497-6339.
Circle 558 on inquiry card.
Executive Expense
Account Manager
Adaptive Software's Ex-
pense Account Manager is
purported to be the first
microcomputer software
package designed specifi-
cally to organize and track
travel and entertainment
expenses for company ex-
ecutives and professionals.
Salient features include
easy expense entry and
corrections, reminders of
expenses that are often
overlooked, prompting for
specific information re-
quired by the IRS, and
budget projections. Ex-
pense subtotals can be
organized by client or proj-
ect, and a table of fre-
quently traveled trips is
maintained, which allows
easy and consistent report-
ing of automobile mileage.
Expense Account Manager
a utomatically reconciles
travel advances and tracks
reimbursements. For ad
hoc reporting of expense
data, an interface to
Visicalc is provided. Addi-
480 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
What's New?
tional features include the
ability to print out pocket
recording sheets for record-
ing expenses as they are in-
curred and the ability to
change expense items,
budget lines, and subtotal
definitions without pro-
gramming.
The Expense Account
Manager runs on 48K-byte
Apple II Plus and lie com-
puters. It requires a disk
drive and a printer. The
suggested retail price is
$150. Contact Adaptive
Software, 1868 Cavell
Ave., High/and Park, IL
60035, (312) 831-4420.
Circle 556 on inquiry card.
PC Chess Program
The Sfinks PC Chess pro-
gram is designed for both
beginners and experts. Pro-
gram highlights include a
problem mode, infinite
levels of play, a dual chess
clock, a save and restore
function, multiple move
take backs, move sugges-
tions, and algebraic nota-
tion. Sfinks a/so has op-
tional printout and audio
signal capabilities. All
United States Chess Feder-
ation rules, such as cas-
tling, en passant, and
underpromotion, are ob-
served. Monochrome and
color graphics are sup-
ported.
The Sfinks PC Chess pro-
gram runs on 64K-byte IBM
Personal Computers. It's
available on floppy disk for
$49.95 plus $2 shipping,
from William Fink, Suite
24-B, 1105 North Main St.,
Gainesville, FL 32601,
(904| 377-4847.
Circle 564 on inquiry card.
Multiple Applications
on Screen at Once
Jack2 for the IBM Per-
sonal Computer lets you do
word processing, spread-
sheeting, charting, and
database-management
tasks on screen simulta-
neously without windows.
One feature of Jack2 auto-
matically changes the cor-
responding values in text or
a bar graph when you alter
a number in a spreadsheet.
All screen data, such as a
spreadsheet with explana-
tory text and a bar chart,
can be printed out on a
single page in the same
manner as it appears on
screen. Multiple columns of
text can be displayed on the
same page. Since word-
wrap occurs within in-
dividual columns, text can
be entered or deleted in any
of the columns without af-
fecting the layout of the
other columns. Pages can
be as large as 25/2 inches
wide, and horizontal scroll
is automatic.
Jack2 spreadsheets can
handle 1000 columns and
rows, each of which can
have as many as 255
values. Numeric values can
be stored with up to 24
digits of precision. Addi-
tionally Jack2 offers user-
selectable automatic or
manual recalculation, user-
definable column widths,
and right justify, left justify,
or center entries. Other
features include a two-line
command ares on top of
the screen, a help line that
explains what a command
does, user-defined database
and record formats, char-
ting and printing functions,
and the ability to. hide a
scratchpad and confidential
information in text. Fields
can be deleted, added, or
contracted, and three-level
ascending, descending,
alphabetic, and numeric
sorts are permitted.
Two utility programs, a
report generator and a data
transfer program, are offered
as options. Jack2 costs
$495. Contact Business
Solutions Inc., 60 East Main
St., Kings Park, NY 11754,
(516) 269-1120.
Circle 562 on inquiry card.
Accounting
Programs for HP 150
BPI Systems announced
the availability of a family of
accounting packages for
Hewlett-Packard's HP 1 50
personal computer. The
packages are General Ac-
counting, Personal Ac-
counting, Accounts Pay-
able, Accounts Receivable,
Payroll, Job Cost, and In-
ventory Control. Each
package can be used alone
or integrated with other BPI
software. The programs
come on 3 1 /? -inch floppy
disks and are supplied with
documentation tailored for
the HP 150. Each package
retails for $425 and is mar-
keted through existing
Hewlett-Packard outlets.
BPI Systems also pro-
duces software for such
computers as the Apple,
Commodore 8032, IBM
Personal Computer, NEC
PC 8000, Sanyo MBC
series, Texas Instruments
Professional Computer, and
CP/M-based systems. Com-
plete details are available
from BPI Systems Inc., 3423
Guadalupe, Austin, TX
78705, (512) 454-7191.
Circle 561 on inquiry card.
Prolog Interpreter
Runs Under CP/M-80,
MS-DOS
Micro-Prolog 3 is an ex-
tended Prolog interpreter
for Z80-based machines
running CP/M-80 and
8088/8086-based ma-
chines running MS-DOS.
Prolog has enjoyed wide
popularity abroad as a de-
velopment language for in-
telligent databases, expert
systems, and artificial-intel-
ligence applications. Al-
though tailored for micro-
computers, Micro-Prolog 3
sacrifices none of the fea-
tures of Prolog. Program-
development aids such as
interactive text and struc-
ture editors, three trace util-
ities, and user-definable er-
ror trapping and recovery
are standard.
Micro-Prolog 3 features
user-friendly syntax, tail
recursive programs run in
bounded memory, a gar-
bage collector, and the abili-
ty to wrap completed pro-
grams as protected modules
that can communicate with
other programs by means
of import/export name lists.
More than 60 primitive rela-
tions are provided, some of
which include integer and
floating-point arithmetic,
two-way conversation bet-
ween constant and charac-
ter lists, and formatted
record I/O for intelligent
database applications.
Among its new extensions
are user-definable com-
mands and the ability to
add new primitive relations
using an integral systems
interface to machine-code
programs. Micro-Prolog 3
has an average speed of
240 resolutions per second
on a 4-MHz Z80 or 8088
microprocessor.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 481
What's New?
On CP/M-80 systems,
Micro-Prolog 3 requires 48K
bytes of memory; MS-DOS
systems need I28K bytes. A
single license with docu-
mentation is $275. Addi-
tional computer licenses
cost $75. For full details,
contact Prolog Systems, 54
Edgemont Rd., Milford, CT
06460, [203] 877-7988.
Circle 563 on inquiry card.
Interactive Sales Aid
GINA is an interactive
point-of-purchase sales aid
designed to attract, inform,
and entertain your cus-
tomers. GINA (General In-
formation and Analysis) is a
self-paced, hands-on tutor-
ial that acquaints customers
with computer basics. It
uses a simple question-and-
answer format that helps to
define and clarify
customers' computer
needs. After collecting data
on your customers' needs,
GINA presents them with a
purchase proposal that is
tailored to those needs.
Two versions of the pro-
gram are available. Standard
GINA recommends generic
systems, while GINA+ sug-
gests specific brand names
that can be geared to your
inventory. It runs on the
IBM Personal Computer
and its compatibles. Either
version can also be pur-
chased in almost any CP/M
format. GINA costs $295,
and GINA+ is $495. For
more information, contact
System Vision Corp., Suite
207, 199 California Dr.,
Millbrae, CA 94030, (800)
352-9999; in California,
(415) 697-3861.
Circle 559 on inquiry card.
SAT Study Program
from Barron's
Barron's Computer Study
Program for the SAT is
tailored for high school
students preparing to take
the Scholastic Aptitude Test
(SAT). This program purport-
edly helps students pin-
point academic strengths
and weaknesses and pre-
scribes a personalized study
program. Four full-length,
simulated SATs are provided,
each featuring two modes
of operation: Question and
Test.
For each problem in the
Question mode, the com-
puter supplies an explana-
tion of the correct response,
an explanation of wrong
answers for verbal ques-
tions, problem-solving
strategies for mathematics
questions, and a hint and a
second chance to correct
wrong answers. The Test
mode provides uninter-
rupted and timed test-
taking.
In addition, the program
provides students with the
number of questions
answered correctly and in-
correctly, a scaled SAT score,
and the percentage of cor-
rect answers in 42 skill
areas. Complementary
workbooks address text,
mathematics, and verbal
skills. Sound effects and col-
or are featured.
The Computer Study Pro-
gram for the SAT comprises
three double-sided floppy
disks, a users manual, and
three study guides. Versions
are available for IBM PC,
Commodore 64, and Apple
I II Plus, and He computers.
The list price is $79.95. A
teacher's disk is offered. For
more details, contact Bar-
ron's Educational Series
Inc., 113 Crossways Park Dr.,
Woodbury NY 11797, (516)
921-8750.
Circle 555 on inquiry card.
Utility Recovers Lost
Files
You can reconstruct files
with bad sectors, recover
files from disks with
damaged directories, and
restore erased files with the
Disk Fix-Disk Editor and
Recovery Utility from the
Software Store. This utility
automatically configures
itself to floppy or hard disks
and can display, edit, or
copy any sector of a CP/M
2.0 disk. Other features in-
clude menus and on-screen
editing in both hexadecimal
and controlled ASCII.
Disk Fix works on 8080-,
8085-, or Z80-based com-
puters with CP/M. It costs
$150 and is available in
most 5/4- and 8-inch for-
mats. For more information,
contact the Software Store,
706 Chippewa Square,
Marquette, Ml 49855, (906)
228-7622.
Circle 553 on inquiry card.
Casino Pac Runs on
Commodore 64
Advanced Microware
recently introduced Casino
Pac for the Commodore
64. Casino Pac includes
four gambling games:
Blackjack, Poker, Keno,
and Slot Machine. Each
game is said to be an ac-
curate simulation of the
video gaming machines
being used in Las Vegas,
Reno, and Atlantic City.
Casino Pac is available on
tape or floppy disk for $39.
64Tour, a grand tour of
the features and capabili-
ties of your Commodore, is
also available from Ad-
vanced Microware. It has
demonstrations of all the
64's graphics modes as
well as music and sound
effects. It costs $12.
Both programs can be
obtained from Advanced
Microware, POB 6143,
Santa Ana, CA 92706,
(714) 554-6470.
Circle 565 on inquiry card.
482 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
What's New?
Action Games Set on
a River and In Space
Two games for the
Commodore 64, River
Chase and Galactic Battles,
were recently released by
Cyberia Inc. In River Chase,
you must contend with
enemy gunboats and
perilous objects as you try
to steer your boat safely
home. Your fuel and ex-
plosives sre limited, but
you can replenish them at
supply depots along the
way. River Chase features
color graphics, music, and
six levels of play.
Galactic Battles is the
saga of a space explorer
ship that accidentally
crosses into a new uni-
verse inhabited by an array
of aliens. This game gives
you three different sce-
narios to choose from.
Graphics and sound effects
heighten the action.
Both games require joy-
sticks. They sre available
on floppy disk or cassette
for $19.95 each. For fur-
ther information, contact
Cyberia Inc., POB 784,
Ames, IA 50010, (800)
247-3900; in Iowa, (800)
262-2004.
Circle 566 on inquiry card.
Business Graphics
Package Runs on
Rainbow
A business graphics
package from the Redding
Group, Graftalk runs on
the DEC Rainbow 100.
This device-independent
software uses English com-
mands interactively, runs
commands from disk files,
and uses customized or
standard menus. It pro-
duces exploded pie charts,
scatter diagrams, line and
combination plots, and
stacked, percentage,
clustered, and floating bar
charts. A range of move,
draw, and other graphics
and text commands sre at
your disposal, and a mini-
spreadsheet and a text
editor sre provided.
Graftalk also supports
the IBM PC and Zenith
computers. Versions for
NEC, Epson, and Victor
computers will be available
soon. For the DEC Rain-
bow, Graftalk is priced at
$450. For more details,
contact the Redding Group
Inc., 609 Main St., Ridge-
field, CT 06877, [203]
431-4661.
Circle 567 on inquiry card.
Law Office
Organizer
The Legal Assistant com-
prises f\\/e programs de-
signed to increase produc-
tivity in the law office: In-
corporating-by-Reference
(IBR), Folio, Footnote, Gram-
matik, and the Random
House Proofreader. IBR can
be used for compiling client
letters, contracts, wills, and
briefs. A database manager,
Folio stores and retrieves
client records, indexes of
legal documents, pleadings
and briefs, bibliographies,
and article abstracts. Foot-
note numbers and formats
footnotes in Wordstar or
Select files. Grammatik and
the Random House Proof-
reader will check your
documents for correct
grammar and spelling, re-
spectively. In addition, the
Proofreader will let you
create your own dictionary
of legal terms.
. These programs sre avail-
able in most popular micro-
computer formats, includ-
ing CP/M, MS-DOS, and
PC-DOS. The Legal Assis-
tant package is $349. For
full details, contact Digital
Marketing Corp., 2363
Boulevard Circle, Walnut
Creek, CA 94595, (415)
947-1000.
Circle 560 on inquiry card.
Model IV CP/M Has
Interchange Utility
Montezuma Micro offers
an implementation of
Digital Research's CP/M 2.2
for the Radio Shack TRS-80
Model IV that has an Inter-
change utility capable of
reading, writing, and copy-
ing more than 20 disk for-
mats, including IBM,
Kaypro, Osborne, and
Xerox. A configuration pro-
gram for 35-, 40-, 77-, and
80-track single- or double-
density drives is built in, as
is a utility that can format
more than 50 different flop-
py disks. Additional features
include full utilization of
function keys, a 4-MHz
clock speed, and ADM-3A
emulation with reverse
video.
Montezuma Micro has
compressed the system
code for CP/M 2.2 so that
it will occupy only the first
two tracks of a floppy disk,
which leaves 170K bytes for
storage. It works with either
64K- or 128K-byte Model
IVs. Complete with utilities
and a 300-page manual,
this DOS costs $199.95.
Contact Montezuma Micro,
Redbird Airport Hanger #8,
Dallas, TX 75232, (800)
527-0347; in Texas, (800)
442-1310.
Circle 554 on inquiry card.
A Fontastic Program
for Printers
You can enhance your
dot-matrix printouts with
diagrams, charts, and spe-
cial graphics characters
with a new program from
IHS Systems. Fontastic lets
you create and incorporate
such diagrams as electrical
schematics or bar charts as
part of the text in a stan-
dard PC-DOS file. A unique
feature of this program is a
full-screen font-creation util-
ity that lets you change any
standard Fontastic font,
create new fonts, and add
newly designed fonts to the
resident library. Word-pro-
cessing forms control and
proportional printing sre
among Fontastic's other
features.
Fontastic works with
most popular word proces-
sors, including Benchmark,
Easy writer 1.1, Peach text,
Volkswriter, and Wordstar.
Printers such as the IBM
Graphics, Epson MX/FX,
C.ltoh Model 8510A, and
Okidata Microline sre sup-
ported. The program is sup-
plied on two floppy disks;
one has utilities while the
other has more than 20
fonts to get you up and
running. Fontastic runs on
128K-byte IBM Personal
Computers. Address in-
quiries to IHS Systems, Suite
211, 4718 Meridian Ave., San
Jose, CA 95118, (408)
265-5503.
Circle 551 on inquiry card.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 483
What's New?
C Compiler for IBM
A full C language com-
piler for the IBM Personal
Computer is available from
Sure-Wing Systems. A com-
plete implementation of C
as defined by Kernighan
and Ritchie, Sure-Wing C
has full floating-point math-
ematics, a complete I/O
library, and all standard C
language structures,
unions, and typedefs. With
this two-pass compiler, as-
sembled routines can be
linked in and called from C
routines. It produces OBJ
files compatible with the
PC-DOS linker. Program size
can be up to 64 K bytes of
code and 64K bytes of data.
The source code for the
library functions Is provided.
Sure-Wing C runs on the
IBM PC or PC XT with 128K
bytes of memory and either
PC-DOS 1.1 or 2.0. Two
320K-byte floppy-disk drives
or a combination of one
floppy disk and a hard-disk
unit are required. Sure-Wing
C costs $100. Updates will
be available for $10. A ver-
sion for 8087-based IBMs is
being developed. The com-
piler can be ordered from
Sure-Wing Systems, POB
20008, Oakland, CA
94620, (415) 655-4773.
Circle 557 on inquiry card.
LISP System
for TRS-80
A fast machine-lan-
guage LISP system for users
of Radio Shack TRS-80
Models l/lll and IV has been
announced by Artificial In-
telligence Technologies.
This system offers standard
LISP functions and is en-
hanced with such features
as visual display capability
with pixel graphics and
cursor addressability,
random-access disk I/O,
character-oriented I/O
capabilities, user-selectable
prompt, automatic closing
of s-expressions with left
and right brackets, ab-
breviated quoting, floating-
point routines, and strings,
files, and arrays ds addi-
tional data types.
The LISP system comes
with a manual containing
an introduction to LISP fun-
damentals and detailed
coverage of the use of the
LISP interpreter, structurally
oriented editor, and the dif-
ferentiator and algebraic
simplifies A poker player is
provided. The system costs
$79.95. Full particulars sre
available from Artificial In-
telligence Technologies,
2121 Northeast 152nd,
Redmond, WA 98052,
(206) 644-3068.
Circle 568 on inquiry card.
Genealogy Program
Handles 30
Generations
Cyclone Software's
Patriarch I Is a comprehen-
sive genealogy system ca-
pable of tracking 30
generations. It offers three
modes of relationships: that
between two people, be-
tween one person and all
the descendants of an-
other, and all those related
in a specific way to one per-
son. Up to 26 children can
be entered per person.
Patriarch I lets you print
family trees and generate
an unlimited number of
reports with up to 60 print
conditions sorted on any of
five fields. This fully rela-
tional database offers 50
user-definable fields, menu-
driven operation, the ability
to handle six indexes
simultaneously, and the
capacity to store 2144 char-
acters per record.
Patriarch I is designed for
48K-byte Apple II Plus and
lie computers equipped
with a disk drive and run-
ning under DOS 3.3. It
costs $ 195, which includes
a manual with tutorials. For
complete information and a
sample printout, contact
Cyclone Software, 3305
Macomb St. NW, Washing-
ton, DC 20008, (202)
362-8740.
Circle 569 on inquiry card.
Communications
Hayes Modem Bundled With Software
Hayes Microcomputer
Products has announced
the availability of a modem
and communications soft-
ware package for Apple
computers. The Micro-
modem He is a compact
modem housed on a circuit
board that slides into an
Apple's expansion slot. It
then connects directly to
the telephone line, giving
you the ability to commu-
nicate with other com-
puters and timesharing and
information services. It sup-
ports both Touch-Tone and
rotary-pulse dialing and
single- and multiline tele-
phone connections. A built-
in speaker lets you monitor
calls as they sre being
made. Data rates sre 110
and 300 bps. Micromodem
lie Is Bell 103-type compat-
ible, and it's FCC approved.
The Smartcom I commu-
nications software directs
the Micromodem to place
and answer calls and to
send and receive files with
any of three transfer pro-
tocols, which dre stop/start,
send lines, and verification
for error-free transfers be-
tween Hayes's programs.
Smartcom routes data to a
printer, stores three tele-
phone numbers, and has a
comprehensive set of vari-
able communications pa-
rameters that dre predefined
for a common environ-
ment. This program will
also create, delete, and dis-
play files and a directory. It
can handle up to six disk
drives, several printer cards,
40- and 80-column dis-
plays, and lowercase char-
acters.
The suggested retail price
for this package Is $329.
Previous owners of the
Micromodem II can obtain
Smartcom for $ 119. Contact
Hayes Microcomputer Prod-
ucts Inc., 5923 Peachtree
Industrial Blvd., Norcross,
GA 30092, (404) 449-8791.
Circle 572 on inquiry card.
484 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
What's New?
^*%o*i*
Customized Modem/
Software Packages
Access 1-2-3 is a new
family of customized data
communications packages
from Novation. The pre-
miere system is designed for
the IBM PC, IBM PC XX
Columbia Data Systems'
Portable and Multi Personal
Computers, the Corona
Portable and Personal Com-
puters, and the Compaq. Ac-
cess 1-2-3 comprises Nova-
tion's PC1200B modem,
necessary cables and ac-
cessories, and Multistuf's
Crosstalk XVI software. Its
suggested retail price is
$595.
The PCI200B \s a smart
modem featuring an exten-
sive set of commands and
responses that provide tele-
phone line status. It has a
built-in dialer with dial tone
and busy detect, auto-
answer, and audio moni-
toring through the com-
puter's speaker. The
PCI 200B operates a 1 300 or
1200 bps, full duplex, and
can perform an automatic
self-test and receiver align-
ment at power-on. It can be
put into analog or digital
loopback modes. The
modem requires a single ex-
pansion slot.
Crosstalk XVI is an intel-
ligent terminal and file-
transfer program. It uses the
PC1200B's features to ac-
complish auto-dial, auto-
matic log-on, auto-answer,
and disk-to-disk data trans-
fers. It stores as many as 40
separate log-on passwords
and IDs, which enables
you to reach utilities or
mainframes with a single
keystroke. Stop bits, parity,
data rates, and duplex oper-
ations sre under its control,
and extensive error-check-
ing and retransmission sre
included. It provides the
means for sending captured
data to a printer, buffer, or
floppy disk. Crosstalk also
displays the transmission
time for each file.
For additional informa-
tion, contact Novation Inc.,
20409 Prs\r\e St., Chats-
worth, CA 91311, (213)
996-5060.
Circle 576 on inquiry card.
Software Links
Incompatible
Computers
U.S. Digital's Copylink
program provides the
means for the high-speed
transfer of text and program
code between dissimilar
computers and DOSes.
Copylink also provides ac-
cess to public database ser-
vices, Telex and TWX capa-
bilities, and emulation of
both smart and dumb ter-
minals. Its error-detection
code supports binary file
trsnsfers, and its CP/M error
recovery technique, with
DOS extensions, prevents
the loss of data by uninten-
tional exiting from the pro-
gram or by disk overflow
during file transfers. An
audible prompt signals an
error condition. Standard
features include the ability
to receive more than one
disk of data, modem data
rates up to 1200 bps, single-
keystroke operation of func-
tions, auto-answer, auto-
redial, automatic configura-
tion of smart modems, full-
and half-duplex transmis-
sion, display of previous file
transfers, display of control
characters, transmitter con-
trol for amateur radio trans-
mission, a hard-copy op-
tion, and such user-defined
parameters as originate/
answer mode, parity, num-
ber of data and stop bits,
and end-of-line sequence.
Copylink supports local
data and program transfers
between computers using
8- and 5/4 -inch floppy-disk
formats and machines run-
ning CP/M and MS-DOS. Its
documentation includes a
user's manual and The
Complete Handbook of
Personal Computer Com-
munications. The sug-
gested retail price is $99.
User and dealer information
is available from U.S. Digital
Corp., 5899-D Southeast In-
ternational Way Milwau-
kee, OR 97222, (503)
654-0668.
Circle 573 on inquiry card.
Q
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Secure Networks
Safeguard
Communications
Complete computer net-
works that sre said to be
virtually untappable sre
produced by Codenell
Technology Corporation.
TheCodebeam line-of-sight
optical communications
system, the Codenet fiber-
optic Ethernet local-area
network, and the Codelink
fiber-optic computer net-
work transmit signals either
through thin fiber-optic
cables or by means of light
beams. The Codenet-2020
Transceiver is compatible
with Ethernet interface
equipment through a 15-
pin transceiver cable. It
works with the Codestar
passive star coupler to
create a fiber-optic Ethernet
network. This system
enables the computer net-
work to be removed from
telephone lines, improving
security and reducing oper-
ating costs.
For interbuilding net-
working, the Codebeam-
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 485
What's New?
20 line-of -sight system can
link networks without
cables or telephone con-
nections over distances of
up to 2 kilometers. Large
multisite computer net-
works can be implemented
with the combination of
the Codenet, Codelink, and
Codebeam. For technical
specifications, possible con-
figurations, and purchasing
information, contact Code-
nell Technology Corp.,
1086 North Broadway,
Yonkers, NY 10701, (914)
965-6300.
Circle 570 on inquiry card.
Modem Can Transmit
at 76,800 bps
The LVS 76.8 limited-
distance modem from
Complexx Systems can
send data 16,250 feet (5000
meters) on 22-gauge wire
at 76,800 bps, and even
greater distances can be
achieved by transmitting at
slower speeds or on heavier-
gauge wire. The LVS has a
front-cover thumbwheel
that lets you select from
eight synchronous speeds
ranging from 2400 to
76,800 bps and LED in-
dicators for power, data
transmit, data receive, car-
rier detect, and testing. It
can operate in point-to-
point, multidrop polled,
half-duplex two-wire, and
full-duplex four-wire modes.
The LVS is equipped with a
Bell 43401-compatible
switch. Additionally, the
LVS is programmed to pro-
vide local and remote
loopback.
Complexx Systems offers
the LVS 76.8 with either an
EIA RS-232C digital inter-
face or with a V35 inter-
face. The retail price for the
RS-232C model is $650,
and the V35 version is
$725. For more informa-
tion, contact Complexx
Systems Inc., 4930 Research
Dr., Huntsville, AL 35805,
(205) 830-4310.
Circle 574 on inquiry card.
254 IBM PCs Linked
with Percomnet
A user-installable local-
area network, Percom Data
Corporation's Percomnet in-
terface for the IBM Personal
Computer can link up to
254 nodes per network.
Called the PN-IBM, this net-
work interface plugs into
the host computer and
then is linked to the net-
work through a data cable
interface. At the heart of
the PN-IBM is Western
Digital's WD2840 network
control processor. The
WD2840 is designed to
handle major communica-
tions tasks as they relate to
the network token-access
protocol, including network
initialization, addressing,
data transmission, ac-
knowledgments, and diag-
nostics. Global addressing
and dynamically alterable
station priority are supported.
Other key features include
NBS data encryption for
data security, signal
regeneration at each node
in order to maintain high
signal-to-noise ratios, and a
built-in 64K-byte FIFO buf-
fer to speed data transmis-
sions. PN-IBM supports
simultaneous voice and
data transmissions and is
available with MS-DOS-,
CP/M-, or Unix-compatible
software.
Percomnet interface
adapters will soon be an-
nounced for S-100, Multi-
bus, and STD bus com-
puters. Technical specifica-
tions dre available from Per-
com Data Corp., 11220
Page Mill Rd., Dallas, TX
75243, (214) 340-5800.
Circle 571 on inquiry card.
Network Interface
Unit for IBM and Tl
Computers
Ungermann-Bass has an-
nounced an intelligent
Ethernet-compatible net-
work interface unit (NIU)
that allows IBM PC and
Texas Instruments Profes-
sional Computers to share
information and resources
and integrate with large
mainframes using IBM SNA
protocols.
An extension of the com-
pany's Net/One general-
purpose local-area network,
the Net/One Personal Con-
nection is based on the Per-
sonal NIU, a plug-in board
with on-board intelligence
to handle all communica-
tions. PCs configured with
these NIUs can run any ap-
plication programs under
MS-DOS without modifica-
tion. Applications can be
shared across the network.
Also featured dre XNS pro-
tocols, and support for
Ethernet and thin coaxial
cabling. Net/One uses SNA
gateways that let users
access mainframe-based
application programs. (SNA
gateways sre computers
running software that per-
mits them to emulate IBM
3274 controllers or 3278
terminals and 3287
printers.)
The Personal NIU costs
$850, which includes MS-
DOS networking com-
mands. Quantity discounts
dre available. Print and disk-
sharing software packages
on 5/4 -inch floppy disks dre
$ 500 per server. For com-
plete details, contact Unger-
mann-Bass Inc., 2560 Mis-
sion College Blvd., Santa
Clara, CA 95050, (408)
496-0111.
Circle 575 on inquiry card.
486 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
What's New?
On-line Brokerage
C. D. Anderson & Com-
pany a San Francisco-based
brokerage house, has an-
nounced that the Desk Top
Broker financial service is on
line. The Desk Top Broker
lets you make transactions,
maintain portfolios, see cur-
rent stock prices, and check
such data as change from
previous close through your
personal computer 24
hours a day seven days a
week. A unique feature of
this service is an electronic-
mail facility that enables
you to make requests, such
as transferring securities be-
tween cash and margin ac-
counts, and notifies you
that your orders have been
carried out. A Stock Watch
mode will track various
aspects of up to 18 selected
stocks, sound an alarm \f a
price changes, and alert
you when a stock falls or
rises above preset buy-and-
sell limits. Additionally you
can maintain three separate
portfolios, keep up-to-date
tax records that reflect trade
transactions, and attach
conditions to buy orders. All
the information stored in
the Desk Top Broker can be
transferred to a spreadsheet
program for analysis and
chart production. Double
password security ensures
data integrity.
Users of the Desk Top
Broker are billed with a one-
time charge of $300, which
includes required software
and registration fees. On-
line connection fees range
from $0.40 per minute dur-
ing business hours to $0.10
per minute nighttime and
weekends. Transaction
charges are levied. Costs
associated with the Desk
Top Broker are said to be
generally tax deductible.
The system works with
modem-equipped Apple
and IBM Personal Com-
puters. Inquire about its
availability for other
systems. Further details can
be obtained from C. D.
Anderson & Co., Suite 440,
300 Montgomery St., San
Francisco, CA 94104, (415)
433-2120.
Circle 577 on inquiry card.
Low-cost Modem
Uses Tl Chip
The Micromint's ECM-
103 build-it-yourself 300-
bps modem is based on
Texas Instruments' NMOS-
technology TMS99532 FSK
modem chip. The
TMS99532 features all the
necessary modulation,
demodulation, and circuitry
required for a full-duplex
serial asynchronous com-
munications link and elimi-
nates many discrete com-
ponents, reducing size and
improving reliability The
ECM-103 is completely
crystal-controlled and is
suitable for acoustic or
direct telephone-line con-
nection through an FCC-
registered data-access ar-
rangement. Connection to
data terminal equipment is
ElA-standard RS-232C con-
nector. No calibrations or
adjustments are required,
and it does not use external
filtering or frequency set-
point components.
The ECM-103 comes
complete with all com-
ponents, a printed-circuit
board, RS-232C and power
connectors, and an
assembly manual. It costs
$60 and is available direct-
ly from the Micromint Inc.,
561 Willow Ave.,
Cedarhurst, NY 11516, (516)
374-6793; or (800)
645-3479 (orders only).
Circle 579 on inquiry card.
Source Subscription
Free with Modem
Apple users will receive a
permanent subscription to
The Source database ser-
vice free of charge with the
purchase of the Networker
modem from Zoom Tele-
phonics. The Networker, a
single-slot 300-bps modem,
combines Apple communi-
cations circuitry and
modem functions on a
single card with direct low-
noise modular-telephone
connections. It works with
Apple II, II Plus, and lie com-
puters. A floppy disk con-
taining communications
software is included in the
Networker's $129 price tag.
For the name of your near-
est Networker dealer, con-
tact Zoom Telephonies Inc.,
207 South St., Boston, MA
02)}), (617) 423-1072.
Circle 578 on inquiry card.
PRINTERS
Six-color Plotter
Plots Graphs at 14
IPS
A fully automated six-
pen plotter, the Sweet-P
Model 600 Six-Shooter is
produced by Enter Com-
puter. Standard features in-
clude a 14-ips plotting
speed, 3g acceleration,
RS-232C and parallel inter-
faces, 19 character sets, self-
test, and a 2K-byte buffer. Its
six pens, housed in a
rotating carousel, are auto-
matically capped after use.
Normally the Six-Shooter
plots with fiber-tip pens, but
when necessary it can use
a ballpoint or, for CAD ap-
plications, radiograph-type
pens. It can draw on both
8/2- by 11-inch and 11- by
17-inch paper, and it can
create overhead transparen-
cies. Operating features in-
clude pause and pen-selec-
tion keys and bar, pie, and
polygon fill.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 487
What's New?
The Six-Shooter senses
whether it's connected to a
serial or parallel port and
automatically switches
from one to the other. In
the serial mode, it can be
used as a shared resource.
You can place it between a
computer and printer or
between a terminal and
printer and, operating in its
eavesdrop mode, program it
to perform only those tasks
you want. All graphics soft-
ware that supports the
single-pen Sweet-P Model
100 will work with the Six-
Shooter. It operates with
Enter Computer's SPGL
graphics language and is
compatible with Hewlett-
Packard's HPGL graphics
language. It works with
Apple and IBM computers,
their compatibles, and
CP/M-based systems.
Buffer expansion of up to
8K bytes and a choice of
pens in 12 colors are op-
tions. The retail price for the
Sweet-P Model 600 Six-
Shooteris $1095, including
pens, paper, and operating
manual. For more details,
contact Enter Computer
Inc., 6867 Nancy Ridge Dr.,
San Diego, CA 92121, (619)
450-0601.
Circle 580 on inquiry card.
Printer Mechanism
Targeted at OEMs
An 80-column printing
mechanism targeted at the
OEM and system-integra-
tor market has been an-
nounced by Hi-G Printers
Corporation. The Model
9/80 ME printer mechan-
ism features independent
horizontal- and vertical-axis
control for accurate dot
placement in multipass
printing and graphics out-
put. Using a standard 9- by
7-dot array and off-the-
shelf ribbons, the 9/80 ME
will print at speeds as high
as 200 cps. The unit has
front, bottom, and rear
paper entrances and top
and bottom exits. It has
provisions for internal roll
paper and for mounting a
sheet feeder for 8Vi~ by
1 1-inch cut paper or en-
velopes. The 9/80 ME ac-
cepts externally housed,
fan-folded, sprocket-driven
paper and can handle stan-
dard paper stock, carbon
or carbonless forms, and
gummed or pressure-sensi-
tive labels. It's furnished
with a nine-wire printhead
and a standard tractor
drive. Its physical specifica-
tions are 5% inches high by
20 3 / 4 inches wide by 16'/ 4
inches deep. It weighs 17
pounds. All critical compo-
nents, such as the print-
head, ribbon motor, and
carriage subassembly, are
manufactured by Hi-G
Printers.
The 9/80 is also available
in a reverse tractor, de-
mand-document version
featuring a dedicated paper
chute. An 18-wire print-
head can be furnished.
Evaluation quantities cost
$299 each. Delivery is from
stock. For additional infor-
mation, contact Hi-G
Printers Corp., 96 West
Dudleytown Rd., Bloom-
field, CT 06002, (203)
242-3048.
Circle 605 on inquiry card.
Portable Printer
Weighs In at 1 6
Pounds
Sprinter is an 80-column,
1 60-cps portable printer
from Micro Peripherals Inc.
This 1 6-pound dot-matrix
printer features an IBM-
compatible parallel port,
high-speed skipover, five
character sets, built-in fric-
tion- and tractor-feed me-
chanisms, user-program-
mable character sets, a
4K-byte buffer, and graph-
ics capabilities. Its base
price Is $795.
The Sprinter can be or-
dered with a unique option
called the Softswitch. Soft-
switch Is a keypad that pro-
vides a simple way to
change the printer's oper-
ating functions. It offers
control over such functions
as horizontal tabbing, alter-
nate character-set selec-
tion, form length, linefeed
on carriage return, and ver-
tical line density. A battery-
backed RAM that retains
user-set functions when
the power is off completes
the Softswitch option.
Additional options for
the Sprinter include up to
68K (34 pages) of data buf-
fers and IEEE-488 and RS-
232C interfaces. A carrying
case will be offered after
the first of the year. The
base price is $795. For full
particulars, contact Micro
Peripherals Inc., 4426
South Century Dr., Salt
Lake City, UT 84107, (800)
821-8848; in Utah, (801)
263-3081.
Circle 582 on inquiry card.
P1350 Works with
Variety of Micros
Toshiba's PI 350 desktop
dot-matrix printer will now
work with microcomputers
from such manufacturers
as Apple, DEC, and IBM.
The PI 350 produces letter-
quality correspondence,
high-speed drafts, and dot-
addressable graphics with
a 24-pin printhead that
uses fine-wire 8-mil pins to
overlap dots in a single
pass. When in the letter-
quality mode, this printer
488 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
What's New?
operates at ]00 cps. Draft
work runs at 1 92 cps, and
graphics are printed at a
density of 1 80 by 1 80 dots
per inch.
The PI 350 is a 132-col-
umn printer that yields an
original plus three copies
on letter-sheet or con-
tinuous-form paper that
can be as wide as 15 in-
ches or as narrow as 5
inches. Qume Sprint 5 em-
ulation, an enhanced
Courier font, and software-
selectable multiple fonts,
pitches, and line spacing
are standard. For feeding
paper, the PI 350 can be
equipped with a friction
roller or with optional pin-
feed tractor or sheet
feeders. The standard inter-
face is Centronics parallel.
An RS-232C serial interface
is available as an option at
no extra charge.
The PI 350 retails for
$2195. For more informa-
tion, contact Toshiba
America Inc., Information
Systems Division, 244 1 Mi-
chelle Dr., Tustin, CA
92680, (714) 730-5000.
Circle 677 on inquiry card.
%» t ;
'■'
/
^
Low-cost Impact
Printer
The Impact Printer works
with Fidelity Electronics'
Desk Companion and the
Commodore VIC-20 and
64. This dot-matrix printer
offers 24, 32, or 40 col-
umns of uppercase and
lowercase 5- by 7-dot-
matr/x characters. Standard
features include 30-cps
operation, dot-addressable
graphics, reverse character
mode, and two character
sets. A power-on LED and
manual controls for power
on and off and paper feed
are provided. The mean
time between failures is ap-
proximately 50,000 lines.
The Impact Printer mea-
sures 4 inches wide by 4/2
inches long by 2 inches
high. Standard 2/4 -inch
adding-machine roll paper
is required.
The suggested retail
price is $129.95. For more
details, contact Fidelity
Electronics Ltd., 8800
Northwest 36th St., Miami,
FL33178, (305)888-1000.
Circle 681 on inquiry card.
Graph Option for
Plotter
Yokogawa Corporation
of America has announced
the availability of a PROM
option for its PL-] 000 four-
color plotter. The PROM
provides the plotter with
the ability to generate pie,
line, and bar graphs with-
out external programming.
In addition, it provides
cross-hatching and letter-
ing/labeling capabilities.
The PL-] 000 has a stan-
dard RS-232C interface and
plots on paper or foil as
large as 1 1 by 15 inches.
The PROM option costs
$215. For current owners
of the plotter, the option is
available as a factory-
installed retro fit. For more
details, call or write Yoko-
gawa Corp. of America, 2
Dart Rd., Shenandoah, GA
30265, (404) 253-7000.
Circle 678 on inquiry card.
PERIPHERALS
ss^
Image Processing
Camera Sees for
Micros
Datacopy's Model 610
electronic digitizing camera
lets you enter photos, docu-
ments, or three-dimensional
objects into your office's
desktop computer without
the use of a keyboard. The
610 captures an image
through a standard 35-mm
camera lens. Inside the unit,
a linear array of 1728 solid-
state photosensors is
physically scanned across
the image, translating it into
computer-readable digital
code. Image information is
then organized into a
matrix of 4.9 million cells,
called pixels (picture ele-
ments). A digital converter
changes the information in-
to the digital equivalent of
the optical image on a pixel-
by-pixel basis. The image
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 489
What's New?
represented in two dimen-
sions with shades of gray
can now be displayed,
printed out, or stored in the
computer's memory
The 610 requires little il-
lumination, even when
capturing microfiche, draw-
ings, or printed text. A com-
plementary product, the
Model UO Image Processing
Interface, provides image-
capture software and the
ability to work with the IBM
Personal Computer. For sys-
tems integrators and soft-
ware houses using the IBM,
the Model 90 Integrated
System is offered. This sys-
tem is made up of the 610
camera, the UO interface,
and such accessories as the
camera power supply and
cables.
The Model 610 electronic
digitizing camera has a
$7850 end-user price. The
Model 110 and Model 90 list
for $795 and $9945, re-
spectively Address inquiries
to Datacopy Corp., 1070
East Meadow Circle, Palo
Alto; CA 94303, (415)
493-3420.
Circle 592 on inquiry card.
Joystick for Apples
The Data Spec line of joy-
sticks works with Apple \\,
lie, and IBM Personal Com-
puters. One model in the
line, the Model IB-XY-23, is
plug-compatible with the
IBM PC. It's designed to
meet the demands of the
commercial/industrial mar-
ket. Standard features in-
clude linear potentiometers,
a metal enclosure for maxi-
mum shielding and stabili-
ty dual X-Y fine centering,
positive feel push buttons,
and a four-foot cord. The
suggested retail price is
$69.95. Contact Ora Elec-
tronics, 18215 Parthenia St.,
and IBMs
Northridge, CA 91325, (213)
701-5848.
Circle 587 on inquiry card.
Multifunction A/D
I/O Subsystems
The PCDAX Subsystem
provides multifunction data-
acquisition and control
capabilities for a variety of
computers. A minimum
configuration comprises a
PCDAX enclosure with in-
terface to a host computer
and LDT2801 series analog
and digital I/O boards. The
LDT2801 board includes \2-
or 16-bit A/D converter for
16 single-end or eight dif-
ferential analog input chan-
nels, software-selectable
gains of 1, 2, 4, and 8 to ac-
commodate a range of sig-
nal levels, analog outputs,
digital \IO, direct memory
access, and a program-
mable clock. Sampling rates
can be as high as 22,000
samples per second. The
LDT2801 boards are built
around an on-board micro-
processor that acts as an in-
terface to the computer,
controls all analog and
digital operations, and
facilitates program control
by the host computer. To
initiate repetitive conversion
events, the LDT2801 has an
internal system clock that's
programmable for periods
ranging from 5 microsec-
onds to 0.1638 seconds, in
2.5-microsecond incre-
ments. Other boards pro-
vide periods of 2.5 micro-
seconds to 0.0819 seconds
with 1.25-microsecond in-
crements. All boards pro-
vide for an external clock,
which enables synchroniz-
ation of multiple A/D or D/A
conversions with a fre-
quency source. Two
LDT2801 boards can be in-
stalled in a single PCDAX.
They can be programmed
in any language resident in
the host computer.
Two screw terminal/sig-
nal conditioning panels
and software subroutine
packages are available as
options. For data sheets
and complete price infor-
mation, contact Data Trans-
lation, ]00 Locke Dr., Marl-
boro, MA 01752, (617)
481-3700.
Circle 593 on inquiry card.
Trio Enhances
IBM PC
PC Ware has introduced
three products for the IBM
PC and PC XT: a parallel
printer adapter, a serial
communications adapter,
and a 256K-byte RAM
board. The parallel printer
adapter, which can serve
as a general-purpose I/O
port, offers 1 2 buffered TTL
latched outputs five buffered
TTL inputs, software-
controlled interrupts, and full
software programmability. It
costs $89.95.
The software-program-
mable asynchronous RS-
232C serial communica-
tions adapter supports full-
and half -duplex operations.
Its crystal-controlled data
rates are software-pro-
grammable from 50 to
\9,200 bps and include
134.5 bps. Among its other
features are a simple
DCE/DTE configuration
header; a programmable
control register; double-
buffered data; parity, over-
run, and framing error
checks; hardware selection
of I/O mapping; support for
such modem controls as
CTS, RTS, DTR, Rl, and car-
rier detect; four handshake
signals; line-break genera-
tion and detection; and
fully prioritized interrupts to
control transmit, receive,
error, line status, and data-
set interrupts. The sug-
gested price is $94.95.
The RAM board offers
DIP-switched addresses,
selectable on any 64K-byte
boundary. A bare board
costs $189.95. With RAM
chips, it ranges from
$229.95 (64K bytes) to
$349.95 (256K bytes).
For full details on these
products, call or write PC
490 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
What's New?
Ware Inc., 4883 Tonino
Dr., San Jose, CA 95136,
(408) 978-8626.
Circle 600 on inquiry card.
Color Graphics
Adapter for Eagles
A single card providing
the Eagle PC, Eagle 1600
Series, and the IBM PC with
a color display and graph-
ics capabilities is now being
marketed by Eagle Com-
puter. This color graphics
adapter, which can oper-
ate in color or mono-
chrome, features two basic
modes of operation: alpha-
numeric and all-points-ad-
dressable graphics; addi-
tional operating modes are
available from within these
formats. A medium resolu-
tion of 320 by 200 pixels
and 16 foreground and 8
background colors are of-
fered in the color mode. In
the monochrome mode, a
high-resolution display of
640 by 200 pixels is
achievable. Also featured
in the monochrome mode
are reverse video, blinking
character, and highlight-
ing. Character blinking is
offered in the color mode.
The color graphics
adapter will link the Eagle
to a display through a com-
posite video port, a direct-
drive RGB port, or an inter-
face for driving a user-sup-
plied RF modulator. The
adapter costs $295. For
more information, contact
Eagle Computer Inc., 983
University Ave., LosGatos,
CA 95030, (408) 395-
5005.
Circle 599 on inquiry card.
*
PERCON
■ *>■
ft
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III
111
/
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■ ...
v
Bar-Code Reader
Supports 39 and
Interleave 205 Codes
Percon's E-Z-Reader bar-
code reader supports 39
and interleave 205 in-
dustrial bar codes. It pro-
vides operator feedback
and can read dot-matrix
and medium-density
printed labels. Operator
feedback is provided by a
beeper, two host-controlled
LED status indicators, and
a low-frequency tone.
Communications is stan-
dard RS-232C, eavesdrop,
or with a stand-alone com-
puter. The digital wand is
produced by Hewlett-
Packard.
The E-Z-Reader costs
$395. An operating and in-
stallation manual is avail-
able for S20. Dealer and
OEM inquiries are invited.
Contact Percon, POB 1352,
Eugene, OR 97440, (503)
688-3374.
Circle 595 on inquiry card.
Expansion Box and
Control Device
Introduced
Intercomputer has intro-
duced two interrelated
products that are compat-
ible with Timex/Sinclair,
Commodore 64 and VIC-20,
and Texas Instruments
99/4A computers: Intercon-
troller and the Softbox. Inter-
controller is a programmable
control unit that lets you
control electrical devices
with your computer. It has
four standard electrical
outlets that you can pro-
gram using a few simple
BASIC commands. The Soft-
box expansion box has four
software-selectable slots that
are used with program
cartridges and the Intercon-
troller. It also contains an ex-
tra peripheral port.
A nonvolatile memory
cartridge and temperature,
sound, and light sensors
will soon be available for
the Softbox, which costs
$59.95. A required connec-
tor cable is available for
$17.95. Intercontroller is
$99.95. For dealer informa-
tion or to place an order,
contact Intercomputer Inc.,
358 Chestnut Hill Ave.,
Boston, MA 02146, (617)
738-5310.
Circle 591 on inquiry card.
Autocrat Provides
Remote Control over
AC Lines
The Autocrat is a power-
line communications prod-
uct from Bi-Comm Systems.
This microprocessor-based
controller is used to remote-
ly control electrical devices
through existing AC wiring.
It plugs directly into a stan-
dard wall socket, where it
transmits and receives sig-
nals over the AC lines. Up
to 256 Leviton CCS acces-
sories and BSR X-10 devices
can be controlled by Auto-
crat. A battery-backed
CMOS clock/calendar, a
firmware operating system
in EPROM, memory from
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 491
What's New?
data and applications pro-
gram storage, and self -diag-
nostics sre included with
Autocrat. It can operate as
a stand-alone unit, as a
computer-controlled inter-
. face, or under telephone
modem control.
Autocrat is compatible
with computers, terminals,
and energy-management
controllers equipped with
an RS-232C port. The
manufacturer will develop
custom applications soft-
ware by contract and sup-
port customers developing
their own software. Auto-
crat costs $485 and is avail-
able factory-direct from Bi-
Comm Systems, 10 York-
town Court, St. Paul, MN
55117, (612) 481-0775.
Circle 590 on inquiry card.
Buffer Can Handle
256K
An S-100-compatible
printer buffer capable of
handling up to 256K bytes
of memory, the Spool-Z-Q
100 works with both serial
and Centronics-type parallel
printers. Its on-board micro-
processor handles all proto-
cols and handshaking, and
an open socket is available
for a switch panel that lets
you control Copy, Clear,
Buffer, and self-test func-
tions. The Spool-Z-Q has
Normal and Pause-on-
Form-Feed modes that pro-
vide for both normal buf-
fered printing and a pause
for, say, inserting another
sheet of paper. Several pro-
tocols 3re supported, in-
cluding Xon/Xoff, ETX/ACK,
ENQ/ACK, and DTR. For
the serial interface, Spool-Z-
Q provides switch-select-
able data rates, parity, and
word length. The data rates
3re 150, 300, 600, 1200,
2400, 4800, 9600, and
19,200 bps.
The Spool-Z-Q, which
uses 4164-type chips, is fully
socketed for 256K bytes of
memory Memory sizes
available are 32K, 64K,
128K, and 256K bytes.
Prices range from $319 for
a 32K-byte buffer to $529
for the fully loaded version.
For more information, con-
tact JVB Electronics, Suite
10 A, 1601 Fulton Ave.,
Sacramento, CA 95825,
(916) 483-0709.
Circle 594 on inquiry card.
Add-on Package Turns Apple into 68000
Development System
The Apple II can be con-
verted into a 68000 assem-
bly-language development
system with the Qpak-68
board and software pack-
age from Qwerty Inc.
Qpak-68 comprises a plug-
in board to run 68000 pro-
grams, an editor/assembler
to create 68000 source
code, a debugger, and sup-
port documentation. The
board plugs directly into the
Apple and uses the 68008
microprocessor, which is an
8-bit software-compatible
version of the 68000. The
68008 is driven by the Ap-
ple's clock, which permits it
to run parallel with the
6502 in the Apple. The pro-
cessor can be started,
stopped, or interrupted at
any time from the Apple.
The Qpak board is able
to run directly out of the
Apple's memory. It shares
the Apple's 64K-byte mem-
ory space and can access
the same memory and pe-
ripherals as the Apple's
6502 processor, including
the high-resolution display.
It comes with 8K bytes of
local EPROM and 2K bytes
of RAM, expandable to 32K
and 8K bytes, respectively.
The debugger, resident in
EPROM, displays five screen
windows to monitor or
change registers or memory
and to set breakpoints. It in-
cludes instruction single-
step and disassembly The
source-code development
package, which comes on
an Apple-compatible disk,
can assemble 68000 pro-
grams with object code
larger than 8K bytes direct-
ly from RAM. Larger pro-
grams can be assembled
from Apple disks.
The complete Qpak-68
package costs $695. It's
available directly from
Qwerty Inc., Suite 600,
Chesapeake Dr., San Diego,
CA 92123, (619) 569-5283.
Circle 589 on inquiry card.
Scanner Recognizes
Characters and
Images
When connected to an
RS-232C port, Symeon & H.
Corporation's Cosmos
CAX-2 1 image-scanning
system transfers images
and printed characters to a
personal computer. Salient
specifications include a
scanning width of 3.3 mm
and a 0.16- by 0.1 6-mm
per dot scanning rate.
Power requirements sre 9
to 12 volts DC or 110, 115,
492 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
What's New?
220, or 240 volts AC at 50
or 60 Hz, with an AC
adapter. Accessories in-
clude software, a scale, RS-
232C interface cable,
power adapter, and a base
plate. Presently, the soft-
ware for CAX-21 works
with the Apple II; how-
ever, the programs are be-
ing converted for other
computers.
Cosmos CAX-2 1 fea-
tures two software-based
scanning modes: List
Reader and Image Scanner.
Program listings, docu-
ments, and other charac-
ters produced by serial dot-
matrix printers can be read
and transmitted to your
computer with List Reader.
If the transmitted charac-
ters match a user-created
standard pattern, they are
displayed on your video
monitor. Recognized char-
acters can be stored on disk
for later printout. The Im-
age Scanner handles
printed or hand-drawn il-
lustrations, maps, and
other images. Image edit-
ing is possible through the
keyboard. Hard copies can
be produced. Its maximum
image size is 180 by 180
mm.
For more information,
contact Symeon & H.
Corp., 5676 Francis Ave.,
Chino> CA 91710, (714)
627-9887.
Circle 596 on inquiry card.
Half-Megabyte
Bubble Memory
for IBM
A ha/f-megabyte bubble-
memory board designed to
emulate a mini-Winchester
disk drive inside the IBM
Personal Computer is avail-
able from Helix Labora-
tories. The PC Bubble Board
Is said to respond to fixed-
disk commands under most
operating systems, includ-
ing MS-DOS 2.0, Softech
Pascal IV.13, and CP/M-86
for the IBM PC XT Among
the software features avail-
able to users are Restore,
Backup, and partitioning to
hold multiple operating sys-
tems. The solid-state PC
Bubble has four 1-megabit
Intel 7/10 bubble memories,
a 40-millisecond access
time, and a data transfer
rate of ^00,000 bits per
second.
The PC Bubble Board will
also work with such com-
puters as the Corona and
Compaq. It costs $1495.
Complete specifications are
available from Helix Labora-
tories Inc., Suite 106A,
16776 Bernardo Center Dr.,
San Diego, CA 92128, (619)
451-0270.
Circle 586 on inquiry card.
SYSTEMS
80186-based Systems
Onyx Systems' 186 Series
of 16-bit desktop computers
is based on Intel's 80186
processor and is capable of
running Concurrent
CP/M-86. A basic con-
figuration has a display ter-
minal, 256K bytes of RAM,
and 1 megabyte of floppy-
disk storage. The 14-inch
nonglare blue- or green-
phosphor display features
the 256-character ASCII set
and business graphics ca-
pabilities. The terminal tilts
and swivels and has a
104-key intelligent key-
board. A numeric keypad,
cursor-control pad, 28 func-
tion keys, and a standard
typewriter format are fea-
tured.
Expansion capabilities
provided include six
RS-232C serial ports, an
8-bit Centronics-compatible
parallel port, and two disk/
tape ports. Additional ex-
pansion options include up
to 512 K bytes of RAM, a
cabinet to house drives and
backup tape cartridges, 1
Run Concurrent CP/M
megabyte of floppy-disk
storage, and 7-, 14-, or
21-megabyte 5/4 -inch Win-
chester hard-disk drives.
The Onyx 186 Series is
available with Concurrent
CP/M-86, Oasis-16, or
MBOS/BB3 for multiple
users and MS-DOS for
single users.
Prices for complete work-
stations begin at $4495. For
complete details, contact
Onyx Systems Inc., 25 East
Trimble Rd., San Jose, CA
95131, (408) 946-6330.
Circle 609 on inquiry card.
PC Plus and PC
Deluxe Run MS-DOS
The PC Plus and the PC
Deluxe from Scottsdale Sys-
tems run MS-DOS programs
as well as a number of PC-
DOS programs. The PC Plus
is an 8088-based machine
that's outfitted with a 160K-
byte floppy-disk drive, 256K
bytes of RAM, a printer
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 493
What's New?
spooler, a parallel printer
port, and color/mono-
chrome video output. Sys-
tem software includes Ram-
disk, MS-DOS, Wordstar,
Calcstar, Easywriter, and
Sanyo Color BASIC. It costs
$999.
In addition to the soft-
ware supplied with PC Plus,
PC Deluxe comes with
Easy Planner, Easy Filer,
Easy Mailer, and Easy
Speller. It also has two
floppy-disk drives. Its price is
$1399. For more informa-
tion, contact Scottsdale
Systems Ltd., 617 North
Scottsdale Rd. #B, Scotts-
dale, AZ 85257, (602)
941-5856.
Circle 604 on inquiry card.
IBM PCjr Available
A 16-bit 8088-based
computer, the IBM PCjr is
available in two versions: a
$699 system unit and a
$1269 slim-line floppy-disk
drive model. The basic PCjr
features a cordless keyboard
that transmits keystrokes to
the main unit by Infrared
signals at distances of up to
20 feet. Each of its 62 keys
can be programmed for
custom applications, and its
function keys are color
coded.
Standard equipment in-
cludes 64K bytes of ROM,
two cartridge slots, 64 K
bytes of RAM, a serial port,
cassette level BASIC, sound
and graphics subsystems,
and interfaces for a cassette,
In Two Versions
two joysticks, keyboard,
modem, floppy disk, light
pen, direct video, composite
video, and television. To
help new computer users
get started, the PCjr comes
with a ROM-based pro-
gram that uses graphics,
colors, and sound to high-
light the keyboard.
The PCjr can display 40
columns of text on a televi-
sion, composite display or
a direct-drive color monitor
with the addition of an op-
tional adapter or connector.
The enhanced PCjr has 80-
column display capabilities
and comes with 128K bytes
of RAM, 360K bytes of
floppy-disk storage, and a
pair of tutorial disks. It has
80-column display capabil-
ities. Both versions are sup-
plied with an operator
manual and a BASIC hand-
book.
Options include a modem
and parallel printer attach-
ment. The IBM PCjr is avail-
able at IBM Personal Com-
puter dealers. IBM Entry
Systems Division, POB
2989, Delray Beach, FL
33444.
Circle 601 on inquiry card.
2000 Uses 80186
Chip, Two DOSes
A 16-bit Intel 80186-
based computer, the Sys-
tem 2000 was recently un-
veiled by Monroe Systems
for Business. Supplied with
two DOSes, MS-DOS and
CP/M-86 DPX, and GW
BASIC, the 2000 will sup-
port such languages as
Pascal, FORTRAN, C, and
COBOL. Single or dual
5 ] A -inch floppy-disk drives,
128K or 256K bytes of
RAM, a monitor, a parallel
printer port, five expansion
slots, and a clock/calendar
are standard. Mass-storage
capacities are 720K bytes
per disk under MS-DOS or
640K bytes under CP/M-86.
The 2000's twin RS-232C
serial ports offer program-
mable data rates ranging
from 75 to \9,200 bps and
are offered with asynchro-
nous or asynchronous and
synchronous capabilities.
The low-profile, detached
keyboard that comes with
the System 2000 has sepa-
rate cursor and numeric
keypads, four applica-
tion-defined program keys,
and 10 user-defined func-
tion keys.
The 12-inch amber
monochrome monitor is
backed by 128K bytes of
dedicated RAM. The anti-
glare screen can display
2000 characters in an 80-
column by 25-line format
while offering 640- by 400-
pixel bit-mapped graphics
capabilities. Its 256 IBM-
compatible character set
can be produced with such
attributes as reverse, under-
line, high-intensity, blinking,
and nondisp/ay black or
white. The tilt and swivel
pedestal can also accom-
modate a 14-inch, 16-color
RGB monitor.
Options include a Z80A
coprocessor, RAM expan-
sion up to 896K bytes, up
to three RS-232C interface
boards, internal or external
hard-disk drives, and letter-
quality and dot-matrix
printers. Word-processing,
spreadsheet, database-
management, and graphics
packages are among the
programs available. Prices
begin at $3695. For addi-
tional information, contact
Monroe Systems for Busi-
ness, The American Rd.,
Morris Plains, NJ 07950,
(201) 993-2000.
Circle 607 on inquiry card.
494 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
What's New?
PC-Compatible
Targeted at
Professionals
TheTS 1605 computer is
targeted at business and
professional users. Manu-
factured by Televideo Sys-
tems, this 16-bit computer is
hardware- and software-
compatible with the IBM
PC. It comes equipped with
dual half -height 5/4 -inch
floppy-disk drives, each of
which accommodates
368.6K bytes of formatted
data, a single RS-232C
asynchronous port, and an
IBM-style DB-25S parallel
printer port. The TS 1605's
128K bytes of user memory
can be expanded to 256K
bytes. High-resolution 640-
by 200-pixel graphics are
possible on the unit's stan-
dard 14-inch green-phos-
phor display. The TS 1605
can be networked under
CP/M-86. For more details,
contact Te/evideo Systems
Inc., 1170 Morse Ave., Sun-
nyvale, CA 94086, (408)
745-7760.
Circle 602 on inquiry card.
Low-cost 64K
Computer
Video Technologies de-
signed its Laser 3000 per-
sonal computer with two
tiny gate-array chips that
take the place of more than
200 integrated circuits at a
fraction of the cost. The
basic Laser has 64K bytes of
RAM, 80-column display
capabilities, a Centronics-
type parallel printer port,
and a four-channel pro-
grammable sound gener-
ator. Its graphics capabilities
comprise three modes, one
of which provides a six-
color 560- by 192-pixel
matrix. Other features in-
clude a 24K-byte ROM with
Microsoft BASIC, eight user-
definable function keys, a
calculator numeric pad,
and a switching power
supply The Laser 3000 is
said to be able to run most
Apple \\ software. Optional
components will enable it
to run CP/M software and
provide 16-bit capabilities
for running MS-DOS and
CP/M-86.
Disk-drive units sre avail-
able. The Laser 3000 costs
$695. For more informa-
tion, contact Video Tech-
nologies (U.S.A.) Inc., 2633
Greenleaf Ave., Elk Grove
Village, IL 60007, (312)
640-1776.
Circle 603 on inquiry card.
Computer Serves
Alone or In Network
The Lanier Business Pro-
cessor \000 works as a
stand-alone unit or can be
linked with other work-
stations in a Lanier Business
System 5000 network. The
]000 can also be interfaced
with office data-communi-
cations systems using IBM
3270 SNA and 3780 com-
munications protocols or
those with TTY-ASCII capa-
bilities. Basic system hard-
ware comprises dual 8- and
16-bit processors, 128K or
256K bytes of RAM, and
half-height floppy-disk
drives. It can be equipped
with optional 5- or ]0-
megabyte Winchester
hard-disk and floppy-disk
drive configurations. Other
options include a tilt-and-
swivel base for operator
comfort and graphics capa-
bilities for generating
business charts and graphs.
The ]000 supports CP/M
and MS-DOS in addition to
Lanier's software.
The base price for the
Processor 1000 is $2995,
which includes installation
and on-site training. It's
available at more than 340
sales locations nationwide.
For further information,
contact Lanier Business
Products Inc., 1700Chantil-
ly Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA
30324, (404) 329-8000.
Circle 608 on inquiry card.
PUBLICATIONS
CAD/CAM Directory
Focuses on Specs
A directory of the com-
puter-aided design and
manufacturing hardware
and software relying
heavily on technical
specifications, The CAD/
CAM Industry Directory is
available from Technical
Database Corporation. This
directory offers more than
100 listings detailing CAD/
CAM systems, CAD video-
display terminals, testing
systems, plotters, program-
mable controllers, harsh en-
vironment CAM terminals,
special communications
software, industrial data-
bases, systems houses, and
consultants. Each product
listing includes full specifica-
tions, price information,
delivery time, length of
warranty, European and
Japanese marketing con-
tacts, and vendor name,
address, and telephone
number.
The directory costs $35
domestic, $43 overseas. Bi-
monthly specification up-
dates sre available for $15
($19 foreign). Contact Tech-
nical Database Corp., POB
720, Conroe, TX 77305,
(409) 539-9688.
Circle 611 on inquiry card.
Research via
Communication
Alfred Glossbrenner has
written a buyer's and
user's guide. The Com-
plete Handbook of Per-
sonal Computer Commu-
nications, which details
the time- and money-sav-
ing benefits of inter-
computer communica-
tions. Tips in the book in-
clude descriptions of how
your research is enhanced
by access to CompuServe,
Tradenet for swapping
goods and services, three
encyclopedic databases,
telephone directories, a
daily index of 2000 news
stories, and a magazine
index that can search
600,000 citations from
more than 350 current
periodicals. The paperback
version is $ 14.95. Contact
St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth
Ave., New York, NY
]00)0 f (212) 674-5151.
Circle 617 on inquiry card.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 495
What's New?
IBM PC XT
A 200-page IBM PC and
PC XT repair manual writ-
ten for both the experi-
enced and nontechnical
user has been released by
Personal Systems Publica-
tions. How to Repair and
Maintain Your Own IBM
PC/XT offers step-by-step in-
structions, explains most
probable hardware prob-
lems, and provides trouble-
shooting tips. The book
Repair Manual
aids the novice by showing
him or her how to use a
volt-ohmmeter and logic
probe for troubleshooting
testing.
How to Repair and
Maintain Your Own IBM
PC/XT costs $19.95. Order
from Personal Systems
Publications, POB 90754,
Los Angeles, CA 90009.
Circle 610 on inquiry card.
Communicative
Directory
A 26-page directory,
Personal Computers and
User-Programmable Ter-
minals, contains details
about 100 terminals that
can communicate with 5 1
personal computers in a
data-communications en-
vironment. All products
covered connect to the
communications network
via an RS-232C serial inter-
face, and all have soft-
ware that supports in-
teraction with the host
processor. Different sec-
tions in the report relate to
stand-alone or cluster en-
vironments, displays, data
editing and formatting,
operating systems, and
programming languages.
The report costs $29 and is
available from Data Deci-
sions, 20 Brace Rd., Cherry
Hill, NJ 08034, (609)
429-7100.
Circle 618 on inquiry card.
The Naked Truth
Behind the
Computer
Computer trivia, anec-
dotes, world records, and
lore are the subject of The
Naked Computer by Jack
B. Rochester and John
Grantz. From this work
you'll learn that the first
computer bug was actual-
ly a moth that met its de-
mise in a relay of the Mark
I analyzer at Harvard and
read about a computer that
attempted to use water in-
stead of electrons for
switching circuits. Subtitled
The Layperson's Almanac
of Computer Lore, Wizar-
dry, Personalities, Memor-
abilia, World Records,
Mind Blowers, and Tom-
foolery, this 335-page
hardcover book costs
$15.95. It's published by
William Morrow & Co., 105
Madison Ave., New York,
NY 10016, (212) 889-3050.
Circle 613 on inquiry card.
MS-DOS Explained
A thorough overview of
Microsoft's popular MS-
DOS operating system is
provided in How to Get
Started with MS-DOS by
Carl Townsend. Written in
a manner that helps begin-
ners understand and use
MS-DOS quickly and effec-
tively, this book covers such
topics as why computers re-
quire DOSes and how to
use a word processor.
Other areas covered include
IBM hardware, files, records,
disks, using commands and
utilities, and backup and
safety procedures for disks.
A series of appendices con-
taining MS-DOS tables and
maps, error messages, MS-
DOS and BASIC com-
mands, and a glossary
round off the book.
How to Get Started
with MS-DOS is $13.95. It
can be ordered directly from
the Dilithium Press, Suite
151, 8285 Southwest Nim-
bus, Beaverton, OR 97005,
(800) 547-1842; in Oregon,
(503) 646-2713.
Circle 612 on inquiry card.
Computer Bulletin
for Educators
The School Microcom-
puting Bulletin provides
educators with information
on the use of computers as
effective teaching aids and
administrative tools. The
Bulletin has descriptions
and evaluations of com-
puter products as they per-
formed in school settings
and news on industry de-
velopments of interest to
educators. Eight 8-page
issues are produced during
the school year. The
Bulletin does not accept
advertisements. For order-
ing information and a free
sample copy, write to the
Managing Editor, Learning
Publications Inc., Depart-
ment NR, POB 1326,
Holmes Beach, FL 33509.
Circle 616 on inquiry card.
496 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
What's New?
Mitchell Waite • Donald Martin • Stephen Prata
UNIX PRIMER
PLUS
User Friendly
I Guide to
the UNIX"
Operating SysU .
■. : A \ . '■.-,'
Unix Guide Starts
from Scratch
Mitchell Waite, Donald
Martin, and Stephen Parta
have teamed up to produce
a start-from-scratch guide to
Bell Laboratories' Unix
operating system. The Unix
Primer Plus is a 288-page
tutorial and guide designed
for anyone interested in
learning about Unix. Anec-
dotes, analogies, and il-
lustrations frame the pre-
sentations, and nontech-
nical introductory chapters
explain fundamental Unix
concepts and commands.
Later in the book, detailed
chapters describe advanced
commands and features.
Overviews and summaries
supplement introductory
materials to help compre-
hension.
The Unix Primer Plus
comes in a loose-leaf binder
so that readers can add
pages of notes, supplement
information, or customize
the presentation to specific
Unix installations. It costs
$19.95. For more informa-
tion, contact Howard W.
Sams & Co. Inc., 4300 West
62nd St., Indianapolis, IN
46268, (317) 298-5400.
Circle 615 on inquiry card.
MISCELLANEOUS
Gang Programmer
Has 32K of Buffer
Memory
The Model 8204 is a self-
contained gang program-
mer with 32K bytes of buf-
fer memory. It offers select-
able protocols for popular
development systems,
block-mode data transfer,
selectable data rates, edit-
ing, checksum computa-
tion, and the ability to pro-
gram up to eight EPROMs.
This device can operate as
a stand-alone unit or in
conjunction with a com-
puter. The Model 8204
programs such EPROMs as
the Intel 2758 and 2732/A,
the Texas Instruments
TMS2508 and TMS2558,
the National NMC2724,
the Motorola MCM2816,
and the Hitachi HN48016P.
Operation features in-
clude verification during
and after the program cycle,
confirmation of the
master's validity by the
display of its checksum,
and occupancy checks to
ensure that the master is
present and programmed,
that at least one blank
slave is present, and that all
devices are properly reg-
istered. Failures are indi-
cated visually and audibly.
Operating voltage is
W0I220 V AC ±15 per-
cent at 50/60 Hz.
The Model 8204 Pro-
grammer costs $1295. It's
available from Sherman
Pirkle Inc., 3 Captain Parker
Arms, Lexington, MA
02173, (617) 861-6688.
Circle 621 on inquiry card.
Standby Supply
Powers 16-Bit
Systems
Ladco Development's
Model 250B standby pow-
er supply has a rating of
250 amperes at 1 15 VAC.
It comes with a 1 0-ampere-
hour maintenance-free bat-
tery, RFI line filtering, volt-
age surge suppression,
oyer- and underline volt-
age protection, a battery
charger with overcharge
and short-circuit protec-
tion, a battery condition
meter, visible and audible
failure indication, and a
frequency -con trolled,
square-wave-output 60-
cycle inverter. It can power
1 6-bit computers with hard
disks as well as video ter-
minals. The battery can
operate for ]0 minutes.
The Model 250B monitors
line voltage for factory-set
limits of 103 to 130 volts
and automatically switches
to standby when deviation
occurs.
The Model 250B costs
$545. Quantity discounts
are available. For more in-
formation, contact Ladco
Development Co. Inc.,
POB 464, Olean, NY
14760, (716) 372-0168.
Circle 619 on inquiry card.
Videotaped Short
Course on FORTRAN
A videotaped short
course on FORTRAN is
available from Colorado
State University. This intro-
ductory course covers
FORTRAN in 10 half-hour
lectures. Each lecture
begins with a discussion of
the previous assignment.
Topics such as batch use
and interactive FORTRAN
are covered step by step in
this presentation. Leasing
and purchasing informa-
tion is available from W. L.
Somervell Jr., Engineering
Renewal and Growth Pro-
gram, Engineering Re-
search Center, Colorado
State University, Fort Col-
lins, CO 80523, (800J
525-4950; in Colorado,
(303) 49 1 -841 7. ■
Circle 620 on inquiry card.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 497
Circle 69 on inquiry card.
MEGA BYTES FOR MICRO BUDGETS
Why pay more for top quality peripherals and accessories when our prices are consistently among the lowest anywhere? Expand your system and
shrink your cost. We invite you to compare prices, then call us.
MICROSOFT
For IBM PC
9913 64K card
0313 256K card
9938 64K system card . .
0338 256K system card.
9937 mouse
SALE PRICE
.$243.10
.607.76
.274.36
.439.16
. . 135.44
For Apple II, H + , He
2304 softcard system
2312 softcard system plus. .
2313 ramcard
2223 multiplan el. wrksheet.
9804 softcard prem. system.
2348 prem. softcard He
.239.62
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.191.01
.482.73
.343.81
MISC. ITEMS
644-0100 lemon surge protector. .
644-0110 orange surge protector.
644-0120 lime surge protector. . . .
7654 system saver (APPLE).
92P . . . OKIDATA . . . printer
93P . . . OKIDATA . . . printer
NEC JB1260 monitor
NEC JB1205 monitor
AMDEK COLOR II . . . monitor
PEGASUS disk drives
CORVUS disk drives
SALE PRICE
$46.73
114.86
73.47
68.19
485.10
812.70
112.50
177.50
466.50
CALL
CALL
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DYSAN DISKETTES {Boxes of 10 each)
104/1 . . ." 5.25" .ss.sd
104/1D 5.25" .ss dd
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34.72
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MODEMS
01 HAYES
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04 NOVATION . .
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ORDERS ONL Y 800-858-4810
IN CAL. 800-821-6662
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INFORMATION
(213) 559-0596
Phone orders accepted on Visa and Mastercard only. California residents add 6.5% sales tax. No C.O.D. Actual shipping and handling
charge added to all orders. Prepaid orders as follows: Money orders or cashier's check— merchandise shipped upon receipt. Personal checks must clear before shipping.
20% restocking fee. Prices and availability subject to change.
SUNNY LOW LOW COST
POWER SUPPLIES
(LINEAR & SWITCHING)
FOR S-100, DISK DRIVES
S-100 & DISK POWER SUPPLIES:
ITEM ^_ + 5V OVP
~S^ 12 SLOT & 2 FLOPPY
5A
NO. 806 & NO. 516 Mainframes Kit 1, 2 & 3 for S-100 F^Ftycr 2 Drives(FIoppy&Hard)
OPEN FRAME, ASSY. & TESTED, 6 OUTPUTS, ADJU. & FUSES PROTECT.
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1A
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(1 Floppy & 1 Hard Disk)
S4 6 SLOT & 2 FLOPPY 4A 1A 4-5A PEAK 8A 3A 8%" x 5" x 4%" 95.95
DISK POWER SUPPLIES: open frame, assy. & tested, regulated, adjustable & fuses protect.
ITEM IDEAL FOR +5V OVP -5V +24V(or+12V) +8V Unreg. +12V SIZE W x D x H PRICE
2x8" SLIMLINE
2.5A
2.5A - 5A Peak
2 x 8" or 2 x 5V4 M DISK
4A
1A
3A - 5A Peak
[3x8" (or 5V4") FLOPPY]
[or 1x Floppy & 1x Hard]
6A
1A
6A - 8A Peak
6A
1A
6A - 8A Peak
1A
Ro
R 1 2 x 8" or 2 x 5 1 /4" DISK 4A 1A 3A - 5A Peak 2A
R 2
R3
AC & DC POWER CABLES WITH CONNECTOR FOR 2 DRIVES 8.00
S-100 POWER SUPPLY KITS (open frame with base plate, 3 hrs. assy, time)
ITEM (IDEAL FOR) +8V -8V + 16V -16V +28V SIZE: WxDxH PRICE
5" x4" x4"
8" x 4" x 3%"
10" x 4%" x 3%"
9" x 6Va" x 4%"
51.95
56.95
71.95
98.95
S 3j S4forS-100&2Drives
KIT1
KIT 2
KIT 3
15 CARDS
20 CARDS
DISK SYSTEM
15A
25A
15A
1A
2.5A
2.5A
3A
3A
3A
3A
5A
6 SLOT MAINFRAME
ASSY.
& TESTED ONLY $399.95
12" x 5" x 47/s "
12" x 5" x 47/b"
13%" x 5" x 47/8"
SHIPPING $18.00
54.95
61.95
69.95
SHIPPING FOR EA. PWR SUPPLY: $5.50 IN CALIF.;
$8.00 IN OTHER STATES;$18.00 IN CANADA.
FOR EA. TRANSFORMER: $5.00 IN ALL STATES;
$12.00 IN CANADA. CALIF. RESIDENTS ADD
6.5% SALES TAX.
DEALER
INQUIRIES
INVITED
EACH MAINFRAME (ITEM NO. 806 OR 516) CONTAINS: EMI FILTER • FUSE HOLDER • AC POWER CORD • POWER SWITCH & INDICATOR •
RESET SWITCH • AVz" COOLING FAN • S-100 BUS 6 SLOT CARD CAGE • (1 10/220 VAC, 50/60 HZ.) POWER SUPPLY FOR DISK DRIVES & S-100
SLOTS • 2 EA. DC POWER CABLES WITH CONNECTOR AND MOUNTING HARDWARE FOR DISK DRIVES • 9 EA. CUT-OUTS; 7 FOR DB25
CONNECTOR. 1 FOR 50 PIN CONNECTOR & 1 FOR CENTRONICS • CUSTOM FINISH & LOGO-LESS • COMPACT SIZE • LIGHTWEIGHT. 28 LBS.
ITEM #606 FOR 2 EA. 8" THINLINE FLOPPY (TANDON TM848-1 & 848-2 OR EQUIV.), OR ONE HARD DISK, POWER SUPPLY:+8V/8A. = r16V/3A,
+ 5V/5A OVP, -5V/1A & 24V/5A. SIZE: 12"(W) x 19.5"(D) x 9.8"(H).
ITEM #516 FOR 2 EA. 5V-T FLOPPY (TANDON TM-100 - 1, 2, 3, 4 OR EQUIV.). OR ONE 5%" FLOPPY & ONE 5V4" WINCHESTER HARD DISK
(TANDON TM 600-2. 3 OR EQUIV.). POWER SUPPLY: +8V/8A. ±16V/3A OVP, +5V/6A OVP. +12V/6A. »\ PEAK. SIZE: 13.75'(W) x 19:5"(D) x 7"(H).
No. 806 &
No. 516 Mainframes
MAILING ADDRESS:
P.O. BOX 4296
TORRANCE, C A 90510
TELEX: 182558
SUNNY INTERNATIONAL
(TRANSFORMERS MANUFACTURER)
(213) 328-2425 MON-SAT 9-6
SHIPPING ADDRESS:
22129V2 S. VERMONT AVE
TORRANCE, CA 90502
498 BYTE January 1984
Circle 339 on inquiry card.
CNAnneL
connecnons
The Channel Connecting You And Computers:
APPLE SOFTWARE
*AST Versa Form $245.00
Abase 139.00
Templates P0/1NV @ 39.00
ML/CRJ/EJ @ 33.00
ARTSCI Magic Window 99.00
Magic Mailer 49.00
Magic Words 49.00
Magic Calc 99.00
*ASHT0NE-TATE T " dBase II 385.00
Bottomline Strategist 279.00
Financial Planner 419.00
Friday! 198.00
H0900
BEAGLE BROTHERS
Alpha Plot
28.00
Apple Mechanic
22.00
Beagle Bag
22.00
Doss Boss
17.00
Double Take
27.00
Pronto Dos
22.00
Utility City
22.00
BLUE CHIP Millionare
39.00
BPI GL/AP/AR/INV/PR@
295.00
BR0DERBUND™ A.E.
25.00
Choplifter
25.00
Bank St. Writer
45.00
Lode Runner
26.00
G. W/AP
305.00
AR/PR@
275.00
CENTRAL POINT Copy II Plus
32.00
Filer
15.00
C0NTINENTAL T "GL/AR/AP/PR@
158.00
Home Accountant
49.00
FCM
68.00
Property Management
329.00
CRANE Menu Generator
29.00
DATA SOFT (Zaxxon)
27.00
Micropainter
25.00
DIGITAL RESEARCH!
CALL
00W JONES 1 " Market Analyzer™
275.00
Market Manager
235.00
Market Microscope
525.00
InvestmenfEvaluator
129.00
Connector
85.00
EDUWARE
CALL
FOX & GELLER T "Quick Code
195.00
dGraph
195.00
dUtil
69.00
Quick Screen
119.00
HAYOEN Pie Writer
99.00
HAYES® Smartcom 1.
89.00
INFOCOM'-Deadline
34.00
Zork l/ll/lll @
27.00
INSOFT Electric Duet
22.00
GraphForth
56.00
KENSINGTON® Format II
113.00
LOTUS 1 " Executive Briefing
System
149.00
MICROCOM Micro Terminal 59.00
MICRO PRO® Infostar 259.00
•WUIROSOFT Multiplan 1 " 169.00
Budget System 109.00
Financial Statement 69.00
Other products CALL
MONOGRAM Dollars & Sense 79.00
MUSE® Supertext Home Office 73.00
Supertext Pro. (lie) 73.00
Castle Wolfenstein 22.00
PENGUIN
Complete Graphics System II 49.00
Graphics Magician 39.00
Special Effects 29.00
PERFECT SOFTWARE 1 "
Perfect Writer
Perfect Speller
Perfect Writer/Speller
Perfect Filer
Perfect Calc
Writer/Speller/Filer/Calc
PHOENIX Zoom Grafix
QUALITY Bag of Tricks
SENSIBLE Speller
SIERRA ON LINE
Screen Writer II
Dictionary
Screen Writer/Dictionary
Frogger
Ultima II
SILICON VALLEY
Word Handler
List Handler
SIRIUS Type Attack
Pascal Graphics Editor
SOFTWARE PUBLISHING ™
(Specify 11+ or lie)
pfs: File
pfs: Report
pfs: Graph
pfs: Write (lie only)
SPINNAKER 1 "
SSM Transcend I
Also SEE MODEMS
STONEWARE D.B. Master
D.B. Master Ver. 4
SUBLOGIC Flight Simulator
TERRAPIN Logo
VISICORP Visicale
149.00
99.00
199.00
199.00
99.00
489.00
34.00
29.00
83.00
85.00
69.00
135.00
25.00
39.00
39.00
35.00
28.00
75.00
84.00
79.00
84.00
84.00
up to 30% off
69.00
145.00
229.00
25.00
119.00
(II/II+) (He)
169.00
Other Products
CALL
CENTRAL POINT Alaska Card T "
99.00
DANA ® Fan
59.00
EPS Keyboard
319.00
Prom @
29.00
GIBSON LABS LPS Light Pen
279.00
HAYES Micromodem II W/SC I
249.00
KOALA'" Graphic Tablet
85.00
KRAFT Joystick
49.00
Paddle
39.00
MICRO SCI A2 w/o Controller
219.00
A2 Controller
79.00
A40 w/o Controller
299.00
A70 w/o Controller
399.00
A40/A70 Controller
79.00
MICROSOFT® 16K Ramcard
69.00
Softcard
219.00
Softcard Plus
449.00
Softcard Premium
479.00
Premium Softcard He
369.00
NOVATION See MODEMS
ORANGE MICRO™
Buffered Grappler 16K
179.00
PRACTICAL PERIPHERALS
Microbuffer II plus 16K PAR
199.00
Other Products
CALL
SSM See MODEMS
TG Paddles
29.00
Joy Stick
45.00
Select a Port
45.00
Track Ball
49.00
Joy Stick (He)
49.00
TENCAL Cool & Time
75.00
VIOEX Videoterm w/ss
239.00
Ultraterm
279.00
WICO Joy Stick
59.00
IBM SOFTWARE
*AST Versa Form
245.00
Qbase
139.00
Templates PO/INV @
39.00
ML/CRJ/EJ @
33.00
'ASHTONTATE™ dBase II
385.00
Bottomline Strategist
279.00
Financial Planner
419.00
Friday!
198.00
BLUE CHIP Millionaire
39.00
BPI T " GL/AP/AR/PR @
459.00
CENTRAL POINT Copy II PC
32.00
COMPREHENSIVE
PC Tutor 1.1
45.00
PC Tutor 2.0
45.00
CONTINENTAL! FCM
79.00
Home Accountant Plus
89.00
Property Management
329.00
OATAMOST Write On
89.00
DIGITAL RESEARCH 1 " CP/M86
45.00
Concurrent CP/M 86
235.00
Dr. Logo
79.00
Other Products
CALL
00W JONES™ Market Analyzer 7 "
275.00
Market Manager™
235.00
Market Microscope
525.00
Investment Evaluator™
129.00
Connector
85.00
FOX & GELLER Quick Code
195.00
dGraph
195.00
dUtil
69.00
HAYDEN Pie Writer
135.00
HAYES Smart Com II
89.00
INF0C0M T " Deadline
34.00
Zork l/ll/lll@
27.00
INSDFT Data Design
169.00
MICROCOM Micro Terminal
69.00
'MICROSOFT™ Multiplan
169.00
Budget System
109.00
Financial Statement
69.00
Word
275.00
Word w/Mouse
339.00
Other Products
CALL
MONOGRAM Dollars & Sense
119.00
MUSE™ Supertext Pro
73.00
'PEACHTREE Peachtext 5000
235.00
PETER NORTON Utilities
59.00
SIRIUS Type Attack
29.00
Gorgon II
29.00
SOFTWARE ARTS TK Solver
219.00
SOFTWARE PUBLISHING
pfs: File
94.00
pfs: Report
84.00
pfs: Graph
94.00
pfs: Write
94.00
SPINNAKER™ up to 30% off
STONEWARE
D.B. Master Advanced
449.00
SUPERSOFT Personal Database
90.00
VISICORP Visicale w/C-dex
179.00
Other Products
CALL
AMDEK MAI Board
519.00
AST
Call
HAYES Smartmodem 1200B /SCI
439.00
KOALA™ Graphic Tablet
109.00
KRAFT Joystick
49.00
Paddle
39.00
MICROSOFT® Mouse
149.00
System Card 64K
295.00
System Card 256K
465.00
QUAORAM Quadlink
485.00
Quadboard 64K
285.00
Quadboard II 64K
285.00
Quad 512 plus 64K
265.00
Quad 512 plus 256K
420.00
Quad 512 plus 512K
64K Ram Chips
Quadchrome
Quadscreen
TG Paddles
Joy Stick
Track Ball
WICO Joy Stick
MODEMS
HAYES® Micromodem II
w/SC I (II)
SMartcom I (II)
Smartmodem 1200B
w/SCII (PC)
Smartcom II (PC)
Smartmodem 1200
(RS232)
Smartmodem 300
(RS232)
Chronograph (RS232)
NOVATION Apple Cat II
(300B) (II)
212 Apple Cat II (300/1200B)
(N)
212 Apple Cat II
Upgrade Kit
Cat (300B) (RS232)
D-Cat (300B) (RS232)
J-Cat (300B) (RS232)
Smart Cat 103
(300B) (RS232)
Smart Cat 103/212
(RS232)
212 Auto Cat(RS232)
SSM Modemcard w/SOURCE II
Transmodem 1200 (II)
AI0-2 Ser/Par Interface
MONITORS
AMDEK Video 300
Video 300A
Color I
Color I plus
Color II
Color III
Color IV
DVM Interface (II)
DVM Interface (lie)
NEC 12" Green JB1201
12" Color JC1215
12" RGB JC1203 (PC)
JC1203 to PC Cable
PGS HX-12
QUADRAM Quadchrome
Quadscreen
TAXAN 13" Color
12" Green
12" Amber
RGB Vision 1 12" Lo
RGB Vision 3 12" Hi
PRINTERS
EPSON FX 80/100
OKIDATA Complete Line
DISKETTES
OYSAN® 5V<" SS/SD
5V<" SS/DO
5V<" DS/DD
Plastic Box Add
IBM® 5V«" SS/DD
5V«" DS/DD
MAXELL® 5V«" SS/DD
5V<" DS/DD
TDK® 5W SS/DD
5V«" DS/DD
VERBATIM® 5V«" SS/DD
5VV* DS/DD
675.00
79.00
519.00
1,595.00
39.00
49.00
49.00
59.00
249.00
89.00
439.00
89.00
499.00
205.00
189.00
269.00
559.00
319.00
139.00
159.00
109.00
199.00
409.00
569.00
259.00
499.00
169.00
135.00
149.00
289.00
319.00
439.00
389.00
895.00
169.00
169.00
159.00
299.00
559.00
24.00
539.00
519.00
1,595.00
319.00
145.00
149.00
319.00
559.00
CALL
CALL
32.00
37.00
43.00
1.50
29.90
39.90
28.90
41.90
33.00
43.00
27.90
36.90
TERMS: Add 3% for shipping & handling. $3.00 minimum. Allow 2 weeks for checks to clear. Add 6% for CA. Sales Tax. Add 2% to total for Visa & MasterCharge. All sales final for
software, accessories & diskettes. Defective Hardware, Monitors, Printers returns must be within 10 working days of purchase accompanied by RMA # for exchange only. Apple is the
Registered Trademark of Apple Computer Inc. IBM is the Registered Trademark of International Business Machines Corp. Circle 58 on Inquiry card
Order Desk: National: 1-800-821-4381 Order Desk: Calif: 1-800-421-3245
Product Support: (805) 683-3006 Local orders: (805) 683-1779
Circle 293 on inquiry card.
*** ^e GRAY MARKET
We don't play games
*-¥■
Lowest Prices Anwhere! Here is why:
1. Low Advertising Budget
2. Large Volume Buying
3. No Support
4. No Repair Service
Our advertising budget is kept low, we
sell in large volume and you benefit by
getting the best prices anywhere. You
may use Visa, MasterCard, American
Express or prepay (cashier's check or
money order).
We carry so many products that we are
unable to list them all. However, call us
for your specific needs. We have listed
examples of some of our products and
prices. Believe it or not, all our prod-
ucts are priced the same.
ALL PRODUCTS ARE NEW
IN SEALED CONTAINERS
IF YOU WANT THE LOWEST
AND BEST PRICES CALL US
(714) 557-3934
COMPUTERS
ALTOS SCALL
VIC 20 JCALL
COLOMBIA JCALL
CORONA JCALL
NORTH STAR JCALL
FRANKLIN JCALL
DEC RAINBOW JCALL
TELEVIDEO JCALL
SANYO SCALL
TEXAS INSTRUMENT SCALL
ZENITH SCALL
PIED PIPER SCALL
ZORBA SCALL
PRINTERS - DOT MATRIXES
EPSON FX-80 S519.00
OKIDATA92A S429.00
STAR MICRONICS SCALL
C ITHO SCALL
PROWRITER SCALL
IDS SCALL
DATASOUTH JCALL
ANADEX JCALL
NEC SCALL
TOSHIBA SCALL
RITEMAN SCALL
MANNSMAN TALLY JCALL
OLIVETTE .. SCALL
RIKO ... SCALL
LETTER QUALITY
BROTHER HR-1 .559.00
DYNAX DX-15 S449.00
COMREX SCALL
NEC SCALL
DIABLO SCALL
QUME SCALL
C. ITHO SCALL
STARWRITER SCALL
SILVER REED SCALL
■JUKI SCALL
MONITORS
AMDEK COLOR I . . . . SCALL
NEC SCALL
ZENITH SCALL
SANYO SCALL
TAXAN SCALL
USI SCALL
COMREX SCALL
GORILLA SCALL
MODEMS
HAYES 300 BAUD ... SCALL
NOVATIONS SCALL
SIGNALMAN SCALL
TERMINALS
TELEVIDEO 925 SCALL
OUME SCALL
ZENITH SCALL
AMPEX DIALOG SCALL
TERMIFLEX SCALL
DISC DRIVES
SHUGART SCALL
TANDON SCALL
SIEMANS SCALL
REMEX SCALL
RANA SCALL
COMMADOR 64 DRI . . SCALL
APPLE PERIPHERALS
GRAPPLER PLUS... $115.00
MICROTEK SCALL
OTHER PARALLEL
INTERFACES
SERIAL INTERFAC... SCALL
80 COLUMN CARDS... SCALL
CPM CARDS SCALL
16K RAM CARDS SCALL
LANGUAGE CARDS ... SCALL
APPLE DISK DRIV .... SCALL
BUFFERS JCALL
COMPLETE STOCK OF
CABLES JCALL
IBM PERIPHERALS
RAM CARDS SCALL
QUADRAM SCALL
RAYTRONICS SCALL
AST SCALL
COLOR MONITORS SCALL
10 MEGA BYTE HA .... SCALL
GRAPHICS CARDS SCALL
DISC DRIVES.. SCALL
MODEMS SCALL
C0MMA00R 64 - VIC 20
PERIPHERALS
DIS DRIVES SCALL
MONITORS SCALL
INTERFACES SCALL
CARDCO SCALL
THE CONNECTION SCALL
SOFTWARE SCALL
PAPERCLIP SCALL
DATA 20 SCALL
WORD PLUS SCALL
EXPANSION BOARD ... SCALL
PLOTTERS
HEWLETT PACKARD . . . SCALL
BAUSCH & LOMB SCALL
AMDEX SCALL
BMC SCALL
STROBE SCALL
HARD DISC DRIVES
SWITCH BOXES
ACCESSORIES
DUST COVERS S7.95
PRINT WHEELS SCALL
RIBBONS SCALL
DISKETTE CASES SCALL
SURGE PROTECTOR .... SCALL
DISKETTES DS/DD -
10 ea $ZB95
CHECK SUNTRONICS NEW LOW PRICES
IBM Compatible Products Apple Compatible Products General Products- cont.
COLUMBIA PC 1600-1
Includes: Drives, Video Card, Perfect Soft-
ware Package, MS-DOS, CP/M,
Fast Graphics, BASIC, CP/M-86,
Home Accountant and Com-
munications Program.
PC 1600-1 only $2850.00
COLUMBIA VP (Portable). . . . only $2750.00
AST SIXPACK CARD
Six-function card with 64K-348K RAM
Memory, Parallel Port, Serial Port, Clock
Calendar, Super Drive and Super Spool.
AST Sixpack Card only 291.00
MSI DUAL I/O
2 Serial/2 Parallel Ports, Clock 175.00
MSI 256K RAM Board
256K RAM Board with 64K 199.00
256K RAM Board with 256K Call
MSI 256K w/Parallel or Serial Port
256K w/Parallel Port and 64K 259.00
256K w/Parallel Port and 256K Call
256K w/Serial Port and 64K 259.00
256K w/Serial Port and 256K Call
VISTA DISKMASTER
Diskmaster Floppy and Hard
Disk Controller 225.00
APPRATE IBM PROM Blaster 129.00
CABLE for IBM Parallel Printer 29.95
CABLE for Columbia MPC
Parallel Printer 29.95
MODEM Novation 103 Smart-Cat . .$210.00
AFDC-1 Floppy Disk Drive $7Q95
Controller / */
Runs DOS 3.3 with any standard Shugart com-
patible 5Va" disk drive. (2 drives each card)
ASCII KEYBOARD A&T Plug in compatible
w/Apple II, has shiftlock, under- $CQ00
score, | ] and back slash characters. 0«/
BMC DD and CONTROLLER for APPLE II
BAL500 Disk Drive 5W SS/DD
100% Apple II compatible 249.00
Controller for above 69.00
APPLE Connector 50 pin 3.50
Apple Prototype Board.
Double Sided
glass with gold
I plated Apple and
* General Purpose
terminals. Con-
tains matrix of 17 x 63 solder plated donuts
on .15" x .1" spacing. Great for 14, 16, and 24
pin IC's. SUN-722 7.95
Apprate PROM Blaster 1 19.00
"ALS" 80 Column Card 159.00
"ALS" Z-CARD (Z80 CPU) 149.00
API Apple Parallel Printer Interface card,
Centronics Compatible * $45.00
Mitsubishi Disk Drives, BVt" and 8" Slim
5%" Thin DSDD 40 Track 310.00
8" Thin DSDD 80 Track 450.00
DISKETTE SALE
5VV Diskettes
SS/DD (100% certified)
DS/DD (100% certified)
10 up 100 UP
1.75 1.55
2.50 2,30
SAM WOO 18MHz
Video Monitors
AMBER 9" 119.00
GREEN 12" 124.00
AMBER 12" 127.00
Composite video I/O. 750 ■ " '
lines resolution. 75/10K ohm impedance.
BMC 13" COLOR
monitor for your
home computer
video game dis-
play. Offers 350 x
350 resolution
with 400 dots at
the center.
9191U ...249.00
BMC PRINTER
BX-80 dot matrix printer
with 80 cps, 9x7 print
head. Quiet, reliable and
priced for
entry level $OCQ00
end-user b^w
Note: Please add $10.00 shipping and hand-
ling for the video monitors or printer.
EPROM & RAM SUPER SALE
P/N
2716
2732
2532
2764
2114L-2
4164
6116P-3
Description
(450nS)
(450nS)
(450nS)
(28 pin)
(200nS)
(in stock)
(150nS)
8-24
3.95
4.40
4.40
5.95
Call
Call
6.10
25up
3.95
4.40
4.10
5.95
Call
Call
5.75
Mother Boards & Card Cages
SLOTS BareBd KIT A&T W/CAGE
6 $19.00 $44.00 $59.00 $84.00
8 24.00 56.00 81.00 116.00
12 29.00 75.00 110.00 150.00
10MHz, No termination. Includes power indicator and
wiring for muffin fan. Uses OK connector for sotderless
installation and removal of power & reset lines.
s only, 1-800-42 1-5775
. orders and all Info Call 213-644-1 149
S-100 Products
sice 00
64KSM A&T without RAM... I JU
64KSM A&Tw/64k RAM (32-6116's). 339.00
S-100 Board Uses 6MHz 6116's. VaA max.
power, Bank Select plus Extended Address-
ing allow for multi-memory board set-up. 4
independant 16K Blocks make easy use with
multi-user systems. Any 2K RAM may be
replaced by 2716 EPROM.
SBC-880 Z80A CPU, A&T $169.00
SBC-880 Z80A CPU, Kit 149.00
4MHi Z80A CPU boards with Serial Parallel Ports.
UFDC-1 Floppy Controller, A&T 245.00
UFDC-1 Floppy Controller, Kit 225.00
The UFDC-1 Floppy Controller uses the
WD1795 chip which runs either
and/or 8'75%" Disk Drives.
CLOCK CALENDAR A&T .115.00
CLOCK CALENDAR Kit 95.00
This S-100 Clock Calendar Board has
4 interrupts, Time, Day of Week
and Battery Backup.
S-100 Edge Connector 100 pin 3.95
S-100 Prototype Board
■;., -. _= ... . | Double Sided
flpf^l glass with gold
wj plated, numbered
MR S-100 terminals.
PI mmmmtbm^ Matrix of 25 x 78
solder plated do-
nuts on .15" x .1" spacing. Locations for
headers and regulators. Greatfor 14, 16, and
24 pin IC's. SUN-721 12.95
m SUNTRONICS CO., inc.
^P^- 12621 Crenshaw Blvd., Hawthorne, CA 90250
500 BYTE January 1984
STORE HOURS: MON.-FRI. 9:00am to 6:00pm SATURDAY 10:00am to 5:00pm
Mailorder — Min. Order$10. Visa or MasterCard (please include expiration date). Add $2.00 (shipping and handling) for
first 3 pounds plus .50 for each additional pound to your order. CA residents add Calif, sales tax.
Circle 341 on inquiry card.
Apple Coramy Ltd. has your Number for
ROCK BOTTOM PRICES
iferti
1-800-222-2602
AMDEK COLOR I PLUS 294.95
AMDEK COLOR II PLUS 424.95
AMDEK COLOR III 369.95
AMDEK COLOR IV 749.95
AMDEK VIDEO 300 (GREEN) 134.95
AMDEK VIDEO 300 (AMBER) 144.95
AMDEK VIDEO 310 (AMBER) 164.95
BMC 12AU 12" GREEN 89.95
BMC AU9191U 13" COLOR 299.95
BMC 14 01 13" RGB COLOR 349.9 5
BMC AU9191MU 13" RGB IBM 629.95
COMMODORE COLOR MONITOR 269.9 5
COMREX 13" COLOR W/SOUND 269.95
COMREX 12" HI-RES AMBER 134.95
COMREX 12" HI-RES GREEN 129.95
COMREX 12" HI-RES LT GRN 129.95
COMREX 13" RGB COLOR 269.95
ELECTROHOME 9" GREEN 12 9.95
ELECTROHOME 12" GREEN 144.95
ELECTROHOME 13" RGB IBM 379.95
ELECTROHOME 1 3" RGB COLOR 359.95
GORILLA 12" GREEN 89.95
NEC 12" GREEN SCREEN 154.95
NEC 12" ECONO GREEN 109.95
NEC 12" LO-RES COLOR 289.95
NEC 12" AMBER SCREEN 164.95
NEC 12" COLOR - IBM 4 79.95
PRINCETON GRAPHICS HX-12 489.9 5
SAKATA 13" COLOR 264.95
SAKATA 13" RGB COLOR 499.9 5
SAKATA SUPER RGB MONITOR 679.95
SAKATA 12" GREEN 104.95
TAXAN 12" GREEN 124.95
TAXAN 12" AMBER 12 9.95
TAXAN RGB VISION I 294.95
TAXAN RGB VISION III 439.95
ZENITH 12" AMBER 119.95
ZENITH 12" GREEN 99.95
ZENITH RGB COLOR MONITOR 389.95
USI 9" AMBER MONITOR 12 9.95
USI 9" GREEN MONITOR 119.95
USI 12" AMBER 149.95
USI 12" GREEN MONITOR 139.95
USI 14" LO-RES COLOR 289.95
ANCHOR MARK I (RS-232) 79.95
ANCHOR MARK II (ATARI) 7 9.95
ANCHOR MARK III (TI99/4A) 99.95
ANCHOR MARK V (OSBORNE) 9 4.95
ANCHOR MARK VI (IBM PC) 199.95
ANCHOR MARK VII (RS-232) 109.95
ANCHOR MARK XII (RS-232) 279.95
NOVATION J-CAT 104.95
NOVATION 212 AUTO CAT 579.95
SMARTCAT 212 (1200 BAUD) 429.95
SMARTMODEM 3 00 BAUD 194.95
SMARTMODEM 12 00 BAUD 484.95
SMARTMODEM 1200B - IBM 449.95
US ROBOTICS AUTODIAL 212 449.95
ANADEX DP-9725B COLOR/SCRIBE
ANADEX DP-9625A 1339.95
ANADEX DP-9620A 1129.95
ANADEX WP-6000 2199.95
ANADEX DP-6500TR 500CPS 2329.95
CITOH 8510SCP COLOR NEW! !
CITOH A 10 DAISY WHEEL 539.95
CITOH 8510SP 569.95
COMREX CR-I DAISY WHEEL 629.95
COMREX CR-II DAISY WHEEL 469-95
DAISEYWRITER 2000 1129.95
DIABLO 630R155 1784.95
EPSON FX-80 W/TRACTOR LOW!!
EPSON FX-100 F/T LOW!!
EPSON LQ-1500 LETTER QUALITY
EPSON MX- 10 F/T
EPSON RX-80
EPSON RX-80 F/T
GEMINI 10X
GEMINI 15 X
GORILLA BANANA PRINTER
IDS MICROPRISM
IDS PRISM 132
IDS PRISM 132C - COLOR
JUKI 6100 PRINTER (P)
MANNESMANN TALLY MT160L
MANNESMANN TALLY MT180L
MANNESMANN TALLY MT440L
NEC 3550 SPINWRITER-IBM 1754.95
NEC 8025 120 CPS 136 COL 719.95
OKIDATA MICROLINE 80 299.95
OKIDATA PACEMARK 2350S 1999.95
OKIDATA PACEMARK 2350S
OKIDATA PACEMARK 2410P
OKIDATA PACEMARK 241 OS
OKIDATA 82A W/GRAPHICS
OKIDATA 83A W/GRAPHICS
OKIDATA 84P
OKIDATA 84S
OKIDATA 9 2P
OKIDATA 93P
OKIDATA 93S
PRINTMASTER (DAISY)
PROWRITER I PRINTER
PROWRITER II PRINTER
QUADJET COLOR INK JET PRINTER
QUME SPRINT 11/40+ 1399.95
SANYO PR5500 DAISY WHEEL 659.95
SILVER-REED 550 DAISY 699.95
STAR DELTA-10 160CPS LOW!!
STARWRITER DAISY WHEEL 1099.95
TOSHIBA P-1350 LP 1579-95
TRANSTAR 315 COLOR 449.95
TRANSTAR 120P 14CPS 464.95
TRANSTAR 130P 1 8CPS 699.95
TRANSTAR 140S 40CPS 1229.95
EPSON SERIAL (RS-232) 134.95
GRAFITTI CARD 84.95
GRAPPLER + 1 19.95
MICROBUFFER II 16K 144.95
PKASO INTERFACE 129.95
WIZARD BPO 16K 129.95
WIZARD SOB 16K 179.95
OTHER PRINTERS avatt.ahi.k
LOW! !
LOW! !
LOW! !
LOW! !
LOW! !
189.95
479.95
1299.95
1499.95
549.95
599.95
799.95
NEW! !
2199-95
2329.95
2499-95
379.95
579-95
1049.95
1129.95
449.95
729.95
829.95
1549.95
344.95
619.95
COMMODORE 64 LOW!!
COMMODORE 1541 DRIVE LOW!!
IBM PC LOW! !
COLUMBIA VP PORTABLE 2349.95
COLUMBIA COMPLETE SYS. 264 9.95
IBM-PC COMPATIBLE SYSTEM
12BK, 2-DS/DD DRIVES, KEYBOARD
AND COMPLETE SOFTWARE PACKAGE
CORVUS CONCEPT MC68000 $3 199
256K, 8" FLOPPY DRIVE
COMPLETE SOFTWARE PACKAGE
BI-DIRECTIONAL 8-1/2X11 SCREEN
CORVUS CONCEPT 5 1 2K $3599
EAGLE PC II 128K SYSTEM 2649.95
EAGLE SPIRIT XL 3649.95
PORATABLE 1 28K RAM EXPANDABLE
TO 640K RAM ON BOARD, 1 320K
FLOPPY 10 MEGABYTE HARD DISK,
IBM COMPATABLE KEYBOARD,
MONOCHROME MONITOR, 2 SERIAL i*
1 PARALLEL PORT, MS DOS 2.0,
GW BASIC, CP/M 86
KAYPRO II 1449.95
LEADING EDGE
IBM COMPATABLE COMPUTER
8088 MPC 7.16 MHz
7 EXPANSION SLOTS, BUILT IN
CLOCK, PARALLEL AND SERIAL
PORTS, 128K RAM, MONITOR,
WORD PROCESSING SOFTWARE.
CALL FOR LOW PRICE!
NEC APC-H01 $2049
NEC APC-H02 $2549
NEC APC-H03 $3049
SANYO MBC 550 SYSTEM 769.95
SANYO WBC-1000 1529.95
TELEVIDEO 16-BIT DESKTOP
128K 8088 5MHZ DUAL 360K DRIVES
INCLUDES CP/M $3499-95
TELEVIDEO 910 TERMINAL 549.95
TELEVIDEO 925 TERMINAL 789.95
TELEVIDEO 970 TERMINAL 1199.95
ZENITH Z-120 ALL-IN-ONE
BUILT-IN GREEN SCREEN
DUAL DRIVES SPECIAL $2999.95
APPLE //e NOW AVAILABLE
WILDCAT STARTER SYSTEM 64K 2DR.
6502 & Z80 APPLE-CLONE 1499.95
SS/SD ELEPHANT 16.95 OPUS 15.95
SS/DD ELEPHANT 19.95 OPUS 17.95
DS/DD ELEPHANT 2 5.95 OPUS 24.9 5
APPLE HARDWARE
ALS CP/M CARD 299.95
AMDEK AMDISK 3" DISK DR 239.95
APPLE-CAT II 264.95
APPLE DUMPLING GX 119.95
4TH DIMENSION DRIVE+CTRL 289.9 5
4TH DIMENSION DRIVE-ONLY 199.95
HAYES MICROMODEM He 249.95
KENSINGTON SYSTEM SAVER 64.95
KOALA GR/TABLET W/SFTWR 9 9.95
LAZER MICROSYSTEM DRIVE 189.95
MICRO-SCI A2 DRIVE ONLY 239.95
MICRO-SCI A2 W/CTRL-CARD 299.95
MOUNTAIN MUSIC SYSTEM 289.95
ORANGE MICRO SMART CARD NEW!!
PREMIUM SOFTCARD lie 334.95
QUADRAM 64K80COL CRD He 124.95
RANA ELITE I W/CTRL-CARD 349-95
RANA ELITE II W/CTRL 499-9 5
RANA ELITE III W/CTRL 649-95
SOUNDCHASER MUSIC SYSTEM 619.95
SOFTCARD ( Z-80 CARD) 234.95
SWEET P PLOTTER 459.95
TG JOYSTICK W/TOGGLE He 49.95
TRANSMODEM 1200 499.95
WIOO APPLE MOUSE 124.95
KOALA PAD TOUCH TABLET 99.95
KRAFT JOYSTICK 54.95
MICROSOFr SYSTEMCRD 256K 449.95
MICROSOFT MOUSE 134.95
MOUSE SYSTEMS PC MOUSE 224.95
QUADLINK APPLE EMULATOR 489.95
QUADRAM QUADBOARD I 64K 289.95
QUADRAM QUADCOLOR I 229.95
QUADRAM QUADCHROME MON 524.95
QUADRAM QUADSCREEN MON 1549.95
RANA DS/DD DISK DRIVE 259.95
STB SUPER I/O MULTIFUNCT 169.95
TG JOYSTICK W/TOGGLE 4 9.95
TRANSEND P.C. MODEM 1200 399.95
VERSAWRITER GRAPH TABLET 239.95
WIZARD SPOOLER P/S 16K 239.95
CBH64 HARDWARE
CARDBOARD/5 5 SLOT EXPAN. 54.95
CARD? GRAPHICS INTERFACE 64.95
DATA20 Z80 VIDEOPAK 224.95
GRAPPLER CD NEW PRINT INTERFACE
KOALA GRAPH TABLET W/SFT 79.95
MSD-SD1 DISK DRIVE 339.95
VOICE BOX 99.95
We mil try to meet or beat any advertised price!
CALL US. . . WE CAN HELP! 1-800-222-2602
For technical assistance, order status and California calls (619) 765-0239
Apple Country, Ltd., P.O. Box 1099, 2602 Washington St., Julian, Calif. 92036 ^
Terms: We accept American Express. No extra charge for Visa /MasterCard, Cashier's Check, ^^f*"+
persona! check (allow 2 weeks to clear) Shipping & Handling: 5% ($5 rnin.); APO FPO Alaska J^V*'*
Hawaii & Monitors 5% ($10 rnin.) Foreign orders 15% ($15 min.) Ail items are new with f f\ **"*^.
manufacturer's warranty. Prices are subject to availability §t change without notice. Purchase order m^^SZ*^
must include check. California residents add 6% sales tax. Send $1 (good toward first purchase) for ^fr m ,
new fall catalog. ^^
Apple Country, Ltd. is a DISCOUNT MAIL ORDER HOUSE for the micro computer industry^
and is a California corporation not affiliated with Apple Computer Inc. Apple is a trademark of Apple Computer Inc.
Circle 30 on inquiry card.
S-100
PRAM
PERMANENT RAM . MPM .CDOS
CROMIX . OASIS . AMOS
• MOST VERSATILE MEMORY AVAILABLE
• 8/16 BIT • 24-BITEXrENDED ADDRESSING • PHANTOM
• 8-12 MHZ • IEEE696 • LOW POWER • EPROM-RAMMIX
LITHIUM BATTERYBACKUPavoidspowerfailure crashes intel-
ligently. Unique POWER-FAIL-SENSE circuit allows processor
to save register information and disable board before POWER
FAILURE CRASHES memory.
BG BANK2S6S $1,299 Battery Backup $79
BG BANK64S 399 Battery Backup 39
{409) 775-5009
Apple
Compatible Drives
$195
Includes:
• 40 TRK, 163 K Drive
• Cabinet & Cable
• Free Shipping
• 6 Month Warranty
Order Toll Free:
Free Shipping
1-800-531-5475 (Outside Of Texas)
(512) 250-1489 (In Texas)
fCompuAddcop
13010 Research Blvd., Suite 101
Austin, Texas 78750
We're bringing in the New Year with
specials on quality 3M information
processing products, including:
• DISKETTES • MAG TAPE
• DATA CARTRIDGES
PLUS! Specials on many other pro-
ducts in our full-range discount
catalog of computer supplies. Call,
write, or utilize reader service to
obtain your FREE catalog of 1984 3M
Specials.
LYBEN COMPUTER SYSTEMS
1250-E Rankin Dr., Troy, Ml 48083
Phone: (313) 589-3440
Simply #1 In Service & Reliability
fMU| Authorized Distributor
WlYI Information Processim
ig Products
Circle 42 on inquiry card.
Circle 79 on inquiry card.
Circle 228 on inquiry card.
• Special •
SMITH-CORONA TP-1
Letter Quality • Daisy Wheel Printer
» Parallel Interface
> Microprocessor Electronics
$349
Order Toll Free:
Free Shipping
1-800-531-5475 (Outside Of Texas)
(512) 250-1523 (In Texas)
[CompuPIdd
Corp
13010 Research Blvd., Suite 101
Austin, Texas 78750
5V4" DISK DRIVES
• QUME 142A
Half Height, Double
Sided, 40 TRK/Side .
*229
Free Shipping
•235
Free Shipping
»235
Free Shipping
»229
Free Shipping
Order Toll Free:
1-800-531-5475 (Outside Of Texas) HI
(512) 250-1489 (In Texas) gj
T«xas R*sld*nta Add 5H Sales Tax.
• TANDON: TM 100-2
Double Sided,
40TRK/Side
• CDC: 9409
Double Sided,
40TRK/Side
• SHUGART: SA 455
Half Height, Double Sided,
40TRK/Side
iCompuGdd
Corp.
13010 Research Blvd., Suite 101
Austin, Texas 78750
SMITH-CORONA
Memory Correct III Messenger
Printer & Typewriter
• RS232 Serial Or
Centronics Parallel
» Multiple Pitch 10, 12, 15
Order Toll Free:
Free Shipping
$559
1-800-531 -5475 (Outside Of Texas) Ml
(512) 250-1489 (In Texas) Q
[Compufldd cop
13010 Research Blvd., Suite 101
Austin, Texas 78750
Circle 80 on inquiry card.
Circle 81 on inquiry card.
Circle 82 on inquiry card.
for you . . .
THE PERSONAL TOUCH
by
the
WOO(
I
.
wor
1
£S
Handcrafted Hardwood &. Hardwood
Veneer Micro Computer Furniture.
Enjoy the function & beauty of Oak,
Walnut or Cherry. We can customize
work stations to suit individual needs.
beginning at
MASTERCARDS vj) | / ^
VISA ACCEPTED X f .— /
CALL FOR OUR COLOR BROCHURE
1-800-255-0524
Kansas Residents 913-842-7797
Rt. 2. Box 407 Lawrence, KS 66044
PC-LINK
DEC VT1 OO® TERMINAL
EMULATOR
• A full featured DEC VT100® terminal
emulator on IBM PC or IBM XT.
• Transfertext files between host and
IBM PC or IBM XT.
• Very easy to use. Complete user
documentation.
• To use PC-LIN K program, the PC needs to
have at least one disk drive, IBM DOS
IBM monochrome or color display, a
RS232 port, telephone modem or direct
connect.
• Support baud rate up to 1 200 baud.
• $60.00 +$5.00 for shipping & handling.
• Inquire about source license.
SCREENWARE CORPORATION
P.O. BOX 3662
NASHUA, NH 03061-3662
il Tel. 603-888-4074
VISA
MasterCard VISA or UPS CASH COD
Factory New, Prime Parts
MICROPROCESSORS UNLIMITED
24,000 South Peoria Ave.
BEGGS. OK, 74421
juPco
(918) 267-4961
Prices subject lo change Please o*pect higher prices on some parts due lo world wide
shortages Call lor volume pr.Tr-; f.i,h|<.'c[ ic .tv.ii.ibit> quantities Snipping & Insurance
extra Cash discount prices shown F ri :>•;,!< t .^rrv. Siiiii'fi.inj An m SS 99' Orders rece ""
by 6 PM CST can be delivered lo you by Ihe neit morning We try harder
Circle 316 on inquiry card.
Circle 252 on inquiry card.
CONTROL COMPUTER
that features:
• 6502 MPU
• 55K DRAM
• 2K to 8K EPROM
• 4 Parallel I/O Ports
• 1 Serial I/O Port
• 4 Timer/Counters
• Same Bus as SLIM, AIM
This board can stand alone or be expanded with JOHN BELL ENGINEERING,
INC. peripherals.
• 6 Slot Mother Board #81-320
• Analog I/O Interface #81-292
• 12 Port Parallel I/O #82-036
The board is 4.5" x 6.5" Solder mask both sides with gold fingers. Power
5 VDC 700 MA. This board has power on reset and a crystal clock running
at 1.2288 mhz. One of the 6522's is used to generate baud rates from 110
to 9600.
USES:
• Security Systems
• Heat control
• Light control
• Solar Systems
• Industrial Robot
• Lab experiments
• Automated slide show
• Personal Computer
PRICE:
#83-230A
#83-230B
Assembled
Bare Board
$299.95
$ 49.95
ml Jornv Bell Englxeeriivg, live.
To order: Send check or money order. Add 6.5% tax in California. Add 5% shipping for
orders less than $100 or 3% for orders over $100 or 10% outside U.S.A. Phone orders:
We accept Visa or MC. Add $2.00 for C.O.D. Will Call Hours 9am to 4pm. Call 415-592-8411.
JOHN BELL ENGINEERING, INC 1014 CENTER ST. SAN CARLOS, CA 94070.
Circle 41 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 503
HAVE YOU TRIED THE
DYSAN®
QUALITY
DIFFERENCE?
DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED
5/4 PRICE/ 10
104/1 1 SIDE/SGL DENS $35.00
104/1D 1 SIDE/DBL DENS $37.00
104/2D 2 SIDES/DBL DENS $43.90
204/1D 1 SIDE/ QUAD 96 TP1 $43.90
204/2D 2 SIDES/QUAD 96 TPI $51.30
8"
3740/1 1 SIDE/SGL DENS $36.50
3740/1D 1 SIDE/DBL DENS $45.20
3740/2D 2 SIDES/DBL DENS $52.70
Checks-VISA-MC-C.O.D./Add $2 Shipping
call or write for our discount catalog.
LYBEN COMPUTER SYSTEMS
1250-E Rankin Dr., Troy, Ml 48083
Phone: (313) 589-3440
THE DYSAN DISKETTE STANDARD
AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE
FLOPPY
DISK-DRVE
REPAIR
Command Services
exclusively repairs
Tandon and Shugart
disk drives. We are
affordable, fast and experienced.
For service, call toll free:
M-F, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., 7-9 p.m.
1-800-782-5500
In New York State call:
1-800-328-1800
Command Services Corporation
7143 Henry Clay Blvd.
Liverpool, New York 13088
315-457-1432 -_~
~^TaM ANALOG I/O
8 channels A/D & 8 channels D/A. Sampling
rates up to VaMHz. 8 bits. Analog channels act
as memory or I/O locations. Fits most com-
puters which provide access to data and
address lines (C64, Apple, Timex, TRS80...)
Box & cable available. $220.
FFT-SCOPE-A/D-D/A
A unique peripheral which transforms the low
cost Timex 1 500 & printer Into a powerful 1 55 K
samples/sec instrumentation, signal process-
ing & control system. Free catalog, call orwrite.
I/0& EPROM boards& 70pgdocs:. . . . $288.
'P uter <<£j
ontinuum
301 Sixteenth Avenue
San Francisco, CA 941 18
(415)752-6294
Circle 229 on inquiry card.
Circle 68 o n inquiry card.
Circle 89 on inquiry card.
FLEXIBLE DISCS
WE WILL NOT BE UNDER-
SOLD!! Call Free (800)235-4137
for prices and information. Dealer
inquiries invited and C.O.D's
accepted.
PACIFIC
EXCHANGES
100 Foothill Blvd.
San Luis Obispo, CA
93401. In Cal. call
(800)592-5935 or
(805)543-1037
WHOLESALE
MODEMS
U. S. Robotics 1200/300 Baud
PASSWORD MODEM SALE!
As „ $349.00
List Qty 1 Qty 2 Qty 5 +
Password Modem 449. 00 ea.359. 00 ea.349.°° ea. CALL
Password Features:
a Free RS232 Cable • Manual Answer
a Phone Cable Included • Manual Originate
a 2 Year Warranty a Auto Dial
a 1200/300 Baud a Auto Answer
a Bell 212A Compat. • Auto Mode Select
a Bell 103/1 13Compat. a Auto Speed Select
a Full/Half Duplex • Direct Connect
a Software Available
Free Shipping and Handling in Continental U.S.A.!
S Call 1-(801) 298-0872 »
Rush Check or Money Order To:
C. R. E. Wholesale Products
P. O. Box 361 N.S.L., Ut. 84054
super prices
super micros _
computer Ft hnology
SAGE IV computers use the 68000 CPU, come
with UCSD p-System, PASCAL. Macro Assembler,
Multi-user system. Word processor. Spreadsheet,
expandable to 1mb RAM.
Available SAGE configurations include:
2 640K floppies & 256K RAM $3760
1 floppy, 256K RAM, 6mb Hard disk $5840
1 floppy, 256K RAM, 18mb Hard disk $6800
BIG BROTHER'S SPECIAL-With Hard Disk SAGE:
A Freedom 100 Terminal
or Okidata 92 Printer
or Rebate
FREE
FREE
$400
As software developers and authorized SAGE
dealers we offer customer support.
MARITIME SOFTWARE
ASSOCIATES
(503) 929-2552
6660 Reservoir Road Corvallis, OR 97333
Circle 278 on Inquiry card.
Circle 117 on inquiry card.
Circle 468 on inquiry card.
SUPER FAST!
Z80 DISASSEMBLER
a Two pass operation - generates labels
at referenced locations,
a Generates Zilog mnemonics,
a Allows user defined labels.
• Allows define byte, define word and
define space directives.
a COMPLETE cross-reference
a Output to console, list or disk device(s)
in any combination.
• Generates mnemonics for CP/M
system calls.
• Start and stop at any location in file.
• Source or complete listing type output.
Most formats available
for Z80 CP/M. CDOS. £>f%Q95
andTURBODOS. v wW
S" L fl__Sysfe/ns_
For more information or to order call;
1-800-833-3061
In PA, (412) 282-0864
1622 North Main Street, Butler, PA 16001
LIFETIME WARRANTY
<;im;iu( serial
communication cam)
For Apple II + and Apple lie
The Generic Serial Communication Card
(GSCC) Is an asynchronous device that sup-
ports all protocol needed for full handshake
communication (Hardware DTR, CTS, RTS and
Software XON, XOFF). The board features 3 se-
lectable options: Baud Rate from 110 to 9600,
Full or Half Duplex and Auto Linefeed On or Off
that are software selectable. And the 3 options
can be controlled without burning a new EPROM.
Specia^tr^ctory p | us shipping
Price 7Q95 and handling.
Only j -J Dealer Pricing Available.
Computer Technology Associates
New Products Division
1704 Moon, N.E.
I Albuquerque, N.M. 87112
1 (505) 298-0942
Specifications subject to change without notice
Apple Is a registered trademark of Apple
Computer, Inc. VISA/MC/AE Accepted
wabash
Flexible Diskettes
6 Year Warranty- 1 00% Certified
DELIVERED PRICES
5V4" $160
SINGLE SIDE ~ | ead
SINGLE DENSITY
IB TPI W/HUB RING
Packed W per Sott Peck
5 1 A" $189
SINGLE SIDE ~ | g ac |
5V4" $075
double side '^Lfiarh
DOUBLE DENSITY ™ Cfll ' 1 '
48 TPI W/HU8 RING
Packed lOeorSottPack
s B s U s L o K $140,
each
W/HUBRING
BULK 6|7Q
SSDD >\iP ch
BULK
DSDD
too/Case
Free shipping in continental USA Cal I for
quantity discounts. We accept money orders,
certified checks. VISA and MasterCard. Personal
checks accepted, but take two weeks to clear
bank N.D. add 4%.
Software Services"
1326 -25th St. S., Suite H
Fargo. ND 58103
1-800-634-2248
Circle 326 on inquiry card.
Circle 101 on inquiry card
Circle 332 on inquiry card.
Hewlett Packard
Write or call for prices.
ra
SPECIALS on INTREGATED CIRCUITS
50/6.55 100/6.15
50/4.45 100/4.15
50/5.75 100/5.45
5/4.20 10/3.95
5/ 5.75
5/6.20
10/5.45
10/5.95
8 for 14
6.00
6502 7.45 10/6.95
6520 PIA 5.15 10/4.90
6522 VIA 6.45 10/6.10
2716 EPROM 4.45
2532 EPROM 5.90
6116 2KX8CMOSRAM 6.45
4116 RAM
4!64JJAM_
Anchor
Automation
Signalman
Modems
FREE SOURCE MEMBERSHIP WITH SIGNALMAN
All Signalman Modems are Direct Connect, and provide the
best price-performance values.
Dealer and OEM inquiries invited
Volksmodem with computer cable (99) 68
Mark VI for IBM Personal Computer (279) 1 39
Mark VII Auto Dial/Auto Answer (1 59) 99
Mark XII Smart Model 1200/300 (399) 299
DC HAYES Smartmodem
DC Hayes Smartmodem 1200/300
PROM QUEEN for VIC
Apple Emulator for Commodore 64
STAT Statistics Package for C64
Solid Oak 2 Level Stand for C64 or VIC
C64/VIC Switch (networking)
BACKUP VI .0 tape copier for C64 or VIC
CARDBOARD/6 Motherboard • VIC
CARDBOARD/5 Motherboard - C64
CARD PRINT G Printer Int with Graphics
CARD PRINT B Printer Interface— C64/VIC
CARDBOMTOs Motherboard - VIC
CARDCO C64/VIC Calculator Keypad
CARDRAM/16 RAM Expansion - VIC
Complete CARDCO Une In stock
CIE and VIE IEEE Interfaces in stock
MSD SuperDhve for C64 or IEEE
MAE Assembler for C64
Koala Touch Tablet— C64 or VIC
CBC4/12 12-blt A to D Board + Software
Multiplan for C64
Dust Cover for C64 of VIC
219
529
170
Call
95
29
129
20
64
56
72
40
22
32
44
365
50
79
199
79
6
APPLE— FRANKLIN ITEMS
FRANKLIN— complete line In stock
QUENTIN Drives for Appie/Franklln 219
Swapper Stopper 26
automatic switch between paddles and joystick
KRAFT Apple Joystick 40
Kraft Apple Paddle Pair 30
Koala Touch Tablet-Apple/Franklln 90
SPINNAKER Software In stock
Brodirtund Software In stock
16K RAM Card for Apple 59
Multiplan— Microsoft 185
Solid Oak 2 Level Stand for Apple 29
Serial Card tor Apple 89
MCP RAM/80 column card for lie (AP/TXT) 1 39
Z80 Softcard and CP/M (Microsoft) 235
RANA Elite I with Controller 389
Parallel Printer Interface/Cable 69
Microtek and MCP Interfaces in stock
Grappler + Interface 1 29
Kraft Products for Apple in stock
DC Hayes Micromodem II 299
PFS: File 95
PFS: Report 95
Videx 80 Column Card 209
Apple Blue Book 19
Q commodore
See us for Personal Business, and Educational
requirements. Educational Discounts available.
PETSCAN I $245 base price
Allows you to connect up to 30 CBM/PET Computers to
shared disk drives and printers. Completely transparent to the
user. Perfect for schools or multiple word processing con-
figurations. Base configuration supports 2 computers. Addi-
tional computer hookups $100 each.
COMPACK/STCP
$115
Intelligent Terminal Package for PET, CBM, C64
Includes ACIA Hardware / STCP Software
SCREENMAKERM
Provides_big screen capability for business applications.
GENESIS Computer Corp
VIControiler (for C64 as well) 50
combine with BSR modules for home or business control
COMSENSE Remote Sensing AdapterforC64 orVIC 35
COM VOICE Synthesizer for C64 or VIC 139
includes software for text to speech, pitch, etc.
COM CLOCK Real Time Clock with battery backup 45
VIC 20 Products and Software In stock
Thorn EMI Software UMI Software
ABACUS Software HES Software
16K RAM for VIC 64 Vanilla Pilot 27
VICTORY Software for VIC and C64
Metamorphosis 16 Creator's Revenge
16
16
16
16
Galactic Conquest
Annihilator
Grave Robbers
Adventure Pack I or II
16
16
16
13
16
Labyrinth of Creator
Kongo Kong
Chomper Man
Bounty Hunter
PAPER CLIP Word Processor 99
ORACLE Data Base from Batteries Included 1 09
Super BusCard from Batteries Included 1 59
Commodore 64 Programmers Reference Guide 16
MlcroChess for C64 — 8 levels of play 1 9
excellent graphics and color
SPINNAKER Software C64, Apple, IBM, Atari
Computers First Book of PET/CBM 1 1
C64 or VIC SWITCH 129
POWER ROM Utilities for PET/CBM 78
WordPro 34-/64 with Spellmaster 85
WordPro 4+ - 8032, disk, printer 295
SPELLMASTER spelling checker for WordPro
VISICALC for PET, ATARI, or Apple 189
PET-TRAX PET to Epson Graphics Software 40
SM-KIT enhanced PET/CBM ROM Utilities 40
Programmers Toolkit - PET ROM Utilities 35
EASY CALC for C64 65
PET Spacemaker II ROM Switch 36
COPYWRITER Word Processor for C64 69
2 Meter PET to IEEE or IEEE to IEEE Cable 40
Dust Cover for PET, CBM, 4040, or 8050 8
CmC Interfaces (ADA 1800, ADA145D, SADI in stock)
Programming the PET/CB M (Compute!) — R. West 20
Computers Machine Language for Beginners 1 1
MULTIPLAN for C64 79
HES MODEM with Software 65
HES Software and Hardware In stock
UMI products in stock
FlexFile for PET/CBM/ C64 $ 50
Database, Report Writer with calculations, Mailing Lists.
FO RTH "for f^/iSi^G^^(^\f?^ $50
Metacompiler f or FORTH for independent object code_ 30
kmmmTa^ ~9~5
EARL for PET/CBM Disk-based ASSEMBLER _ 65
Super Graphics — BAS IC Language Extensions 4 5
Fast machine language graphics routines for PET/CBM
RAM/ROM for PET/CBM
4K$75 8K $90
DISK
SPECIALS
Scotch (3M) 5" ss/dd
Scotch (3M) 5" ds/dd
Scotch (3M) 8" ss/sd
Scotch (3M) 8" ss/dd
10/2.20 50/2.00 100/1.95
10/3.05. 50/2.80 100/2.75
10/2.30 50/2.10 100/2.06
10/2.85 50/2.70 100/2.65
We stock VERBATIM DISKS
Write for Dealer and OEM prices.
Sentinal 5" ss/dd 10/1.90 50/1.85 100/1.80
Sentinal 5" ds/dd 10/2.55 50/2.50 100/2.45
We stock Dysan disks
Wabash 5" ss/sd 1 0/ 1 .60 50/ 1 .55 1 00/ 1 .45
Wabash 5" ss/dd 10/1.90 50/1.85 100/1.75
Wabash 8" ss/sd 10/ 2.00 50/ 1.95 100/ 1.85
We stock MAXELL DISKS
Write for dealer and OEM prices.
Disk Storage Pages 10 for $5 Hub Rings 50 for $6
Disk Library Cases 8"— 3.00 5"— 2.25
Head Cleaning Kits 12
AMARAY Disk Storage Systems i n stock.
Innovative Concepts FLIP 'N' FILES in stock.
CASSETTE TAPES— AGFA PE-611 PREMIUM
C-10 10/ .61 50/ .58 100/.50
C-30 10/ .85 50/ .82 100/ .70
DATASHIELD BACKUP POWER SOURCE $265
Battery back up Uninterruptible Power Supply with surge and
noise filtering. The answer to your power problems.
MultiPlan — IBM or Apple
185
Quadboard for IBM available
KOALA Touch Tablets— Apple, Atari, IBM, CBM
Peachtext 5000 Software Package
209
PFS Software for IBM and Apple In stock
VOTRAX Personal Speech System
280
BMC 9191 Color Monitor
229
BMC 1 2A 1 2" Green Monitor
79
Brother HR-75 Daisy Wheel Printer
769
Oynex (Brother) OX-15 Daisy Wheel Printer
469
Itoh Prowriter Parallel Printer
379
Panasonic 1090 Printer with Correspondence Mode
279
Daisywriter 2000 with 48K buffer
1020
Gemini 1 0X
299
EPSON, Okldata, Star Mlcronlcs printers In stock
USICompuMOD4 R F Modulator
29
We Stock AMDEK Monitors
AmdekDXY-1 00 Plotter
590
A P Products
5% OFF
COMPUTER CO VERUPS IN STOCK
BROOKS 6 Outlet Surge Suppressor/Noise Filter
54
Surge Suppressor-6 outlet
29
Electrohome 1302-2 13" Hi-res RGB Monitor
335
Panasonic 12" Monitor (20 MHz) with audio
135
Synertek SYM-1 Microcomputer
1B9
ALL BOOK and SOFTWARE PRICES DISCOUNTED
USI Video Monitors— Green or AMBER 20 MHz hkes.
Dealer and OEM inquiries invited
Yznjth I data
I systems
ZVM-122A 109 ZVM-123G 95
ZVM-131 300 ZVM-135 510
HERO 1 Robot (factory assembled) 2145
Z29 Terminal (DEC and ADM compatible) 680
ZT-10 Intel. Terminal with Serial Port 340
Z100 16-biV8-bit Systems CALL
We stock entire Zenith line.
ATARI — WE STOCK ENTIRE LINE
SPINNAKER and Broderbund Software in Stock.
215-822-7727
252 Bethlehem Pike
Colmar, PA 1891 5
A B Computers
WRITE FOR CATALOG. Add $1.50 per order for United Parcel.
We pay balance of UPS surface shipping charges on all prepaid orders
(add extra for mail, APO/FPO, air). Prices include cash discount.
Regular prices slightly higher. Prices subject to change.
Circle 7 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 505
T L
Relocatable
Threaded
Language
$150
RTL is a new language which retains the
speed and extensibility of Forth but adds many
additional advantages as a result of its more
structured dictionary. Names, code, and vari-
ables are all stored in separate areas for easy
generation of headerless, romable code. All
code is relocatable. RTL supports local vari-
ables, multitasking, redirected I/O, and even
allows definitions to be changed retroactively.
All source code is included. Versions are cur-
rently available or under development for
68000, 6809, 8080, 280, 8086, 8088, and
6502,
RTL Programming Aids
10844 Deer wood SE
Lowell, Ml 49331
(616) 897-5672
RS232C Computer compatible
Paper Tape Transmitter/Model 612
Stops and starts on character at all speeds,
uses manual control or X-on, X-off 90-260
volt, 50-60 Hz power. 50-9600 baud, up to 150
char/sec synchronous or asynchronous
gated internal or external clock, RS 232C,
current loop or parallel output, reads 5-8 level
tape. 7-11 frames per character, even or odd
parity. Desk top or rack mount.
Addmaster Corporation, 415 Junipero Serra
Drive, San Gabriel, CA 91776, (213) 285-1121
Telex 674770 Addmasler SGAB
baud MODEMS
1200
BAUD
SIGNALMAN.. Free hour on 'SOURCE'
300/1200 AUTO DIAL/ANS
$319
'Hayes Compatible'
300 BAUD AUTO DIAL/ANS
$119
300 BAUD direct connect
$ 69
US ROBOTICS . . . 300/1200 . . . MODEMS
'Hayes Compatible'
'Password' with cables, spkr
$339
'S100' card
$339
'Auto 212' dlxe
....$419
S^rix PRINTERS
LETTER
QUALITY
GEMINI 10 x 120 cps graphics
$CALL
PROWRITER 120 cps hi density
$359
JUKI daisys wheel 18 cps
$529
ibm HARD DISKS
CPM
10 Mbyte $1295 40 Mbyte.
...$2495
23 Mbyte $1995 65 Mbyte.
. $CALL
IMAGE COMPUTERS
P.O. Box 1164, Cardiff, CA 92007
CALL TO ORDER:
(619) 942-7373 mmm jirti
(619) 436-7669 S& OR
VISA/MC
ADD 3%
(619) 270-3600 'Dealer Inquiries Invited
Circle 309 on inquiry card.
Circle 12 on inquiry card.
Circle 129 on inquiry card.
M ,CROCOKTBOU
rtl THE REAL V/ORLD
jgSSSSV" W* MK nnMTBOLLEP
*«**
HHSM-CBOCONTBOUERS
RS-232 DATA TAP.
Made in
America
RS-232 DATA TAP...
Can be used to monitor the data which is being
transmitted and received on a RS-232 line. Drives a
printer, CRT, or any other RS-232 receive type
device. Requires no AC power or batteries to operate,
ORDER NOW! Only $34.95, plus S1.75 shipping
and handling, (IL res, add 5% sates tax); we accept
MC or VISA. FREE: illustrated catalog of problem
solving equipment. Phone: 815/539-5827. Make
checks payable to:
D&fl electronics
Box 475B, MEND0TA, IL 61342
Serial 4 ■ lllllll ■ ^ Parallel
Convert What You Have
To What You Want!
• RS232 Serial ' Centronics Parallel
• 8 Baud Rate8 • Handshake Signals
• Latched Outputs * Compact 3!i x 4% x 1}{
No longer will your peripheral choices be limited by the type
of port you have available! Our new High Performance 700
Series Converters provide the missing link. Based on the
latest In CMOS technology, these units feature full baud
rate selection to 19.2K, with handshake signals to maximize
transfer efficiency. Detailed documentation allows
simplified Installation. Order the Model 770 (Ser/Par) or
Model 775 (Par/Ser) Today!
only«89. B
3f Option $10.00
CA Residents 6V. t«x
UPS SMpplngta.OO
S8i
Oxnard California 93Q30
CALL (805) 487-1665 or 487-1666
For FAST Delivery
Circle 177 on inquiry card.
Circle 37 on inquiry card.
Circle 155 on inquiry card.
Smith-Corona TP-1 Daisy Wheel Printer
o^399 00
UNBELIEVABLE!
• fully-formed characters
• compatible with most
micro-computers
• serial or parallel Interface
• choice of 10 or 12 CPI
models
Also for your TP-1 letter quality printer—
the Smith-Corona Tractor Feed
• Ad]ustable tractor widths
• For continuous forms
• Quick. easy removal
ANALOG** DIGITAL
DIGITAL** ANALOG
CONVERSION MODULES
SOFTWARE
GAIN CONTROL
:urocy - pr'ot'jK'.imfrtoblG gaid mscrumencatioi
- custom board test - S-l 00 - 2 to 15 Ub
on time — mlxablc high and low Inputs — gain
o 10JI4 - 1 2 -bit - somple and hold omphfier
z\ differential - 16-chonncl — onalog to digital
urocu — programmable gain instrumentation
r - custom boord test - 5-100 - 2 to 15 hltt
ion time - mnable high and low inputs - gam
) 1024 - 1£-bit - sample and hold amplifier
el differential - 16 channel - analog to digital
For additional details aboutthe ad-100-4 and other
fine California Data Corporation 100% individually
tested, high reliability products, circle the reader
service card number below or for faster response
write or call us.
CALIFORNIA DATA
CORPORATION
3475 Old Conejo Road, Suite C-10
Newbury Park, CA 91320
(805) 498-3651
MEMOREX
FLEXIBLE DISCS
WE WILL NOT BE UNDER-
SOLDI! Call Free (800)235-4137
for prices and information. Dealer
inquiries invited and C.O.D.'s
accepted
PACIFIC
EXCHANGES
100 Foothill Blvd.
San Lais Obispo. CA
93401. InCal. call
(800)592-5935 or
i805)543-1037
Circle 162 on inquiry card.
Circle 56 on inquiry card.
Circle 278 on inquiry card.
MEM-
<►>
Ideal for
• COMPUTERISTS
• OEM MANUFACTURERS
• DEVELOPMENT LABS
• UNIVERSITIES
• INDUSTRIAL
APPLICATIONS
THE ULTIMATE OEM/PC
COMPATIBLE SINGLE
BOARD COMPUTER
FULL IBM - PC"
COMPATIBILITY!
DEALERS AND OEM MANUFACTURERS
QUANTITY DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE
Standard Key-
board Interface
(Full PC compatible)
Eight Compatible
I/O Interface
Connectors
(Full PC compatible)
(compatible with all
IBM-PC* plug-in cards)
Special J1
Interface
(Allows horizontal mount-
ing of compatible expan-
sion cards for easy bus
expansion and custom
configuring) (Board has
62 pin gold plated compat
ible connector)
Board Size
11 0.5 inch X 13,5 inch
Hardware Reset
(Overcomes reset flaw
in PC)
Power Connector
(Full IBM* pinout
compatible)
8088 Processor
(Same as PC)
8087 Numeric
Processor
(Same as PC)
Peripheral
Support Circuits
(Same as PC)
Extended ROM
Capability
(Runs all compatible PC
ROMS) (Jumper program-
mable to accommodate all
popular 8K, 16K, 32K and
64K ROM chips and NEW
EE ROMS! VPP power pin
available for EP ROM
burning!) (External
VPP voltage required)
Configuration
Switches
(Same as PC)
Speaker/Audio
Port
(Same as PC)
Wire Wrap Area
To facilitate special custom
applications!
ORDER NOW!!!
Full Mega-Byte Ram Capacity!
On board!
(With parity)
□ 256K Bytes using 64K chips
a 1 Mega Bytes using 256K chips
Evaluation Board Kit!
(Blank board with full assembly
instructions and parts list.)
Includes highest quality PC board
with gold plating, silk screen,
solder mask
D MEGA-BOARD™ with full assembly instructions $99.95 1
□ USERS MANUAL with theory of operation,
schematics, block diagram, application notes $19.95|
□ MEGA-BIOS ™fully compatible MS-DOS/PC-DOS BIOS $29.95|
ORDER NOW!!!
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED!
10-day money back guarantee if not completely satisfied.
DISPLAY
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
CORPORATION
4100 SPRING VALLEY ROAD
SUITE 400
DALLAS, TX 75234
(214)991-1644
TERMS: Shipment made 2 to 5 weeks from
receipt of order. VISA, MC, money order,
company check accepted. COD'S require
$25 deposit. Balance UPS COD. Please
add $2.00 shipping and handling per order.
*IBM and IBM PC are trademarks of International Business Machines
Circle 134 on inquiry card.
©1983 Display Telecommunications Corporation
BYTE January 1984 507
DISKETTES
AND
COMPUTER SUPPLIES
BUY QUALITY...
• 3 M Scotch Brand Diskettes
• Ribbons and Prlntwheels
• Labels and Paper
• Diskette Storage Equipment
• and Much Morel
....AT LOW PRICES!
We ship within 24 hours, and we pay the shipping.
C.O.D.
OCALL TOLL FREE
800448-4016
INC A 800556-6786
MY Supplier, Inc.
COMPUTER AND WORD PROCESSING SUPPLIES
348 No. Moorpark Road
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Apple ll/lle®
Robotic Development
Package gr*
•re
2 Axis ^W
Stepper Motor System
• A6T/D Plug-In Interface
• R2 D23 Dual Axis Driver
• (2) Size 23 Motors (35 oz. in.)
• Positioning Command with Ramping
from Applesoft* BASIC
Also Available with:
(2) Size 34 Motors (220 oz. in.) &
R2D34 Dual Axis Driver
$365
$595
ROGERS LABS (714)751-0442
271 S. Croddy Way, Santa Ana, CA 92704
MEMORY FOR IBM PC-XT
SiiS.SfiSlSffiiiaa!:
iBBXBiSnS!:
''SfilfaSS'
64K —$159.95
320K — $319.95
384K — $359.95
512K — $439.95
• Uses 64K Drams
• Gold Fingers — Solder Mask
• Addressing On Any 64K Block
• No Parity
Add 6% sales tax in California. Add
$2.00 for shipping. Add $2.00 for C.O.D.
Send check or money order to:
In §ync
5738 Commerce Blvd.
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
(707) 585-2793
Circle 262 on inquiry card.
Circle 308 on inquiry card.
Circle 188 on inquiry card.
Disks 'n Things
* Dealer Inquiries
Welcomed
Disks 'n Things
5505 Softwlnd Way
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Price List Available
6800/6809
Micro Modules
OEM £800/6809 MICROCOMPUTER
MODULES for dedicated control and
monitoring. Interfaces for sensors,
transducers, analog signals,
solenoids, relays, lamps, pumps,
motors, keyboards, displays, IEEE-488,
serial I/O, floppy disks.
WHNTKir <«" swims*
i I L\ I li Ik I Lafayette, IN 47904
■ 317-742-6428
Circle 133 on inquiry card.
Circle 380 on Inquiry card.
wabash
When it comes to
Flexible Disks, nobody
does it better than
Wabash.
MasterCard. Visa Accepted.
Call Free: (800) 235-4137
PACIFIC
EXCHANGES
100 Foothill Blvd
San Luis Obispo. CA
93401 (InCal. call
(805)543-1037)
Circle 278 on inquiry card.
mvtti-
Multimode-Color
pnflpU Graphics-
Unnrn Video-Controller
APPLE, COMMODORE, SS50C-Bus, Multibus
the ultimate all in one graphics controller:
• 512 5123 dot high resolution. 14 MHz dot clock
• 192 kbyte on board screen memory for 2 full pic-
tures • 8 of 4096 progr. colors/ 8 level greyscale
with b&w • prog, hardw. ASCII char, generator 5-8
dots (1... 16 zoom) • hardw. vectorgenerator, 4 types
of lines. 1,500.000 dols/s • build-in lightpen inter-
lace (on dot basis) • 3 powerfull operation modes,
simult. colored and b/w • designedforeasy software
implementation, plotter-like programming • read-
modify-write hardware for non-destructive cross-
hairs, cursors etc.- • fully decoded, jumper sel. 32
byteaddressrange • manyadditionalleatures:hard-
ware-blinking, write-protection, tilled chars, inter-
rupt-generation, X/Y screen-mem addressing, no
wrapp-around elfects. progr.. comp. video input(l),
universal RGB and comp, video output, special b&w
modes... • independent 128 kbyteEPROM area, 8 or
16 Bit (Multibus only)
• APPLE and COMMODORE interface includes
extra case with power supply!
APPLE. COMMODORE S 187 5
(SS50-board, metal-case, power supply, interface)
SSSO-Bus. Multibus (board wo EPROMS) S 1670
high speedlightpen with 50 nsec delay
and switch S 335
delivery as described + manual, data sheet, inter-
facing software, please ask for detained information
□ipl. Lng. Jurgen ttnauft
SDFTUJAAE HflROWflRE □OTALEIEDTBDNIC
D 6457 Maintal 1 , Birkenweg 1 . Tel 61 81 / 4 56 43
W. Germany Multibus is trademark of INTEL Corp.
JUKI 6100
LETTER QUALITY PRINTER
f$469ni
Circle 335 on inquiry card.
Circle 469 on inquiry card.
18 cps
Word processing and graphic functions
Proportional spacing control
Uses IBM Selectric ribbons
Compatible with Kaypro, IBM, Apple,
Osborne, and others-
•...:.. - ' ■■■„._;,
Free shipping In U.S.
COMPUTERS
and more
2420 University Ave n To Order
San Diego, Ca. 92104 (619) 291-1442
Circle 105 on inquiry card.
Freedom-Freed the Prices!
We have met or have beaten most advertised prices.
Buy Direct!
32cps DTC380Z
48K Buffer
Serial and Parallel
I Year Warranty
380 Z S Unbeatable
38K STARWRITER . . S Unbeatable
Mannesmann Tally
• Standard — 7 x 9 160 CPS
• NLQ — 40 x 18 40 CPS
• 2K Buffer and Tractor Standard
160 L 80 col. Call Best Seller
180 L 132 col. Call Best Seller
Spirit Call Best Seller
IDS
• Proportional Spacing
• 8 Character Styles
• 200 CPS Bi Directional
• Color Optional
• Sheet Feed « Graphics
• 3.4K Buffer
Prism 80
Prism 132 and Micro Prism
Auto Cassette Sheet Feed
SCall
S Call
S Call
fcj. •) i
EAGLE
OUR PC FLYS
IBM Compatible
Simply a better PC. All models
available;for immediate delivery
Call Lowest $
Juki 6100
18 CPS IBM Ribbons
Diablo Compatible 2K Buffer
Best Value Yet SCall
It's a Piece of Cake!
High Quality Software
for Personal Computers
> Word Processor
» Mail List
» Spelling Checker
• Telecom
- NEWI ■
Red Hot
Special I
Novation
J-CAT
• Graphics Package
• Financial Planner
• Data Manager
Call for PrlcesI
• 300 BPS Modem
• Originate/Auto Answer
Sizzling $ 89.50
ALTOS
ZENITH
TELEVIDEO
SANYO
USJ
TRANSTAR
PIED PIPER
RANA
STB
QUADRAM
DAISYWRITER
FRANKLIN
HAYES
NOVATION ".
ANADEX
AXIOM
DATASOUTH
MICROTEK
SWEET-P
EAGLE
RITEMAN I
PRINCETON GRAPHICS
VENTEL
AMDEK
BMC
TAXAN
DIABLO
NEC
EPSON
PRINTEK
MOLECULAR
UDS
SILVER-REED
U.S. ROBOTICS
OKIDATA
COMREX
JUKI
STAR
NORTHSTAR
ADDS
KIMTRON
INTERCOLOR
COLUMBIA
CORONA
C. ITOH
DEC
AMPEX
TOSHIBA
VEW
RIXON
HAZELTINE
SEIKOSHA
TTX
WYSE
SANYO P. C.
OTRONA
BLUE CHIP
PRINTACOLOR
OUME
KEYTRONICS
ANCHOR
BROTHER
VISUAL
DAISY
Everything in
computer related products:
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS
• Computers
• Modems
• Printers
• Software
• Monitors
• Terminals
• Accessories
• Paper
• Ribbons
• Diskettes
• Office Furniture
• In-Store Training
For Price Quotes and Ordering, Call:
1-800-821-4128
For Technical Information and
Order Status, Call:
602-952-1057 or 602-954-6127
*********
FREEDOM
COMPUTER MART
INC.
3370 North Hayden Road • Suite 123-314
Scottsdale. Arizona 85251
Prices listed reflect a cash discount and are subject to change without notice. C.O.D.s are shipped with a minimum C.O-D. charge. Allow 3-7 days for personal checks to clear. Product is subject to
availability. Equipment is in factoiy sealed boxes with manufacturer's warranty. There will be a re-stocking charge for returned merchandise. Call first for an RMA number. Software not warranteed for
suitability. No return of Software which has been opened. Add 2% for shipping & handling charges Iminlmum S2.50I All equipment shipped F.O.B. Scottsdale. AZ 85251. Circle 222 on inquiry card.
Best Prices On
TRS-80 Computers
Our 6th year of discounts
Ed or Joe McManus
Fgt. Prepaid. Save Tax.
Toll Free 800-231-3680
Marymac Industries, Inc.
22511 Katy Fwy., Katy
(Houston) Tx 77450
1-713-392-0747
Telex 774132
See us in the Wall Street
Journal every Tues., Wed., Thurs.
DATA SWITCH
FOR IBM PC PRINTER INTERFACE
Model 1 220 Bi Directional Data Switch
with 3-3ft. data cables gives an IBM PC
user 2 Centronics Interfaces to connect a
draft printer & letter quality printer to his
Parallel Interface. A toggle switch on the
front panel selects the desired printer.
Runs at any speed. Built in data cables,
save money. Supplied assembled and
tested. $179.00. Available from your
local computer dealer or
Terminal Data Corp.
11878 Coakley Circle, Rockville, MD
(301) 881-7655
ILd^^H B compiler
for 8080/8085/Z80
New version of the compiler is
, available now!
The object code is COMPACT
and is FASTEST In current C compilers.
Our "Sieve" program runs in
8.0 seconds (standard)
and 6.2 seconds (optimized)
(See January I983 BYTE, pp 283-326)
price : $500 (FOB lapan)
for pamphlet write:
P.O.Box 508 STA. CRUZ
CA. USA 95062
for further information contact:
LSI JAPAN CO., LTD.
2-24-9 YOYOCI SHIBUYA-KU TOKYO (151) IAPAN
PHONE (<UVi7H-2427
Circle 235 on inquiry card.
Circle 354 on inquiry card.
Circle 227 on inquiry card.
< = :
Book* • Softwire • Hardware Add-Ons • for your ATARI 600XL/
800 XL. Commodores, VIC-20, Sinclair, Timex, Apple ll.Osborne+OSI
: C-64! More
for
to, I
ATEXT1
electronic mail »nd networking Thebetl Thit wordprocetsor iJ Jn i
wordprCKmc Tor lheC-64 toryouimoney ll ttttutfu
Ordac-Mo.4965 S89.00 editing, jctolling. iirrng
uimnniK r i . it , , , „ n, <„ nested), lefund right m»rgn
MACROFIRE - Ed.tor/Anirnbtar <or Over 30 comm.ndi. Tr.t an K mvw on
The tMit macroassembler you un buy! n'-'j-iuTim .-. tnoc
rv^riir, iwi ..Qm Order-No. 7210 OWM 629 95
Order No. 4963 689 00 Ordtr-No. 7216 di* S34.95
SUPERBOOKSfor yoorC-64 Order No. 7217 c*rtltdg» 869. 00
Garnet for the ATARI Computer
This book detcribes advanced program
The Great Book of Gemev Vol.1
46 programs for the Commodore 64
wW.i« «.95 ™ n ^"™z"< m,"h,, (i p :r^;",rs
Progr.mifrom tliii book on disk 819.95 Contains many readv 10 run programs in
MORE ON THE SIXTYFOUR BAS J C and one " Htd GUNFlGHT ,n
IStiSF* him '- "" ,mPO ' ,an, 1Ub ' SSaJa^r" S7.95
Order-No. 183 89 95 How to program your ATARI m 6502
Programs fromthii book on d>*k 819 95 Machine Language
m«_ .o „,~-. ™ ,- e«i? u~h ■«. Introduction to machine language lorthe
Mow to program in 650Z Machine n . c , r „_„,_,_.,
i«™.™ nnu «,.( s u * oAitl- programmer
Language onyouri,« r>rrt»r.Nn IRQ igu
Oder-No.184 812.95 ° 899S
Commodore-64 Tune-up. Vol. I F0RTH °" «•■ ATARI - L.irnin,) by
How to expandyour C 64 Usin 9
Order. No. 185 812.95 ln"°duction. programs, applications.
Smill Bonnes* Pnjyimi lor the C-64 n'/fcTSln*!™™ *7 Qr,
Order No. 186 812.95 ° «' N °"° * 7 «
All programs from book No. 170on disk
HAROWARE AOO-ONj lor your C-64 Order No. 7319 822.00 only!
o'rdJ C No'.'43«) n,er **' K tl 9 95 "£""*?$*
in 6502 mUhin
89.95 »°°«ble casset
Expansion Board KIT - Holds up t 4 Complete eonsi
E»P boards (bare board) wareon liow to
Dr<Wr.No.4992 829 96 Orde,N . 172
Ceoyr. 3 nC 1983
Dealer and Oiltributor inquiries ire invited.
ELCOMP PUBLISHING. INC.
53 Redrock l-ina
Pomona. CA91766
Phone: (714) 623-83 14. Tin.: 298191
FAST PRECISION
A/D FOR APPLE II®
* 40.000 SAMPLES / SECOND
DATA ACQUISITION RATE
* 12-BIT RESOLUTION
* 0.1% ACCURACY
* 8 ANALOG INPUT CHANNELS
* REMARKABLE PRICE $375
ALSO! LOW-COST PRECISION A/D
12 SAMPLES /SECOND $195
ACCESSORIES
2-CHANNEL THERMOCOUPLE THERMOMETER
1 ° CENTIGRADE ACCURACY . . ..$135
6-CHANNEL THERMOMETER $155
16-CHANNEL MULTIPLEXER $160
1 -4 CHANNEL OUTPUT CONTROLLER CALL
LAWSON LABS, INC.
5700 RAIBE ROAD
COLUMBIA FALLS, MONTANA 59912
406-387-5355
Circle 148 on inquiry card.
Circle 377 on inquiry card.
Circle 218 on inquiry card.
IBM PC, APPLE, etc. . .
SHARING AND SWITCHING PROBLEMS?
GILTRONIX HAS THE SOLUTION!
Any CPU
Printer 1 Printer 2 Modem or
Dot Matrix Letter Ouality Other Peripheral
MANUAL UNITS AUTOMATIC UNITS
2-6 Ports OR 2-7 Ports
Selecto-Switch Auto-Swrtch
Serial (RS 232)/ Parallel (Cenlronics)
LOW COST A00-0NS FROM THE MAIN
f\S> MANUFACTURER
Centronix
ls\} 378 ° Fabian Wa y- Pal ° Al| °- CA 94303
ScreenWiz
FULL SCREEN CONTROL
An assembler subprogram you call from your
programs to handle screen input/output as
IBM mainframes do.
Define full screen format specifications
outside your program, and call ScreenWiz to
retrieve the formats, and do all the I/O for you.
• One command input/displays a full screen
• Use all of your CRT video attributes
• Define up to 24 function keys
• Define templates for display and input.
• Validate input while keying. Insert and
delete characters to correct fields
• Tab fields forward and backward
• Draw figures using vertical field displays
• Save memory as only one format needs to
be in memory at one time. Make the
constants to display virtual, and they don't
use any memory at all.
• Build help screens. Call them with one
function key then return to where you were.
Available now for most popular -
BASIC ) IBM PC $99
COBOL I CP/M-80 $99
FORTRAN | Shipping $ 6
PASCAL ) Source code included
iniERDfilfi
15 Toronto St. Suite 700
Toronto, Ont. Canada M5C 2E7
(416) 366-2136 (call collect to order)
SYSTEMS INC.
Visa, M/C
Am. Express
Radio Shack TRS-80™
computers
At Guaranteed savings
from
Pan
American
Electronics
1 1 17 Conway Ave.
Dept. B
Mission, Texas 78572
Ph. 512/581-2766
Telex 767339
TO ORDER
CALL TOLL FREE
800-531-7466
Circle 171 on inquiry card.
Circle 194 on inquiry card.
Circle 280 on inquiry card.
1
HALF-HEIGHT SHUGART DRIVE
SYSTEM FOR IBM- PC
Choose 2 or 4 320K byte half heights
or2 half-heights plus a hard disk.
• Powered by energy efficient direct drive
DC motor
• Mounting kits available for most popular
systems
• Clear and simple instructions
• Full one year warranty
IBM-PC 10 Megabyte Half-Height Hard Disk
Upgrade your PC to an XT' Call
609-799-4440 10 Megabyte Half-Height Hard Disk
also available for your COMPAQ.
SA- 71 2 Half- Hgt. 1 Meg Hard Disk Call
SHUGART
HALF-HEIGHT
DRIVES
ShugartSA465 DS/DD
Half-Height 96TPI
New' Allows reading
and writing in single
or double density 5.25
diskettes. Plug compatible with TANDON TM 100-4.
SIEMENS FDD-221-5 and similar drives.
1 YEAR WARRANTY S350 each 2 & S295 each
Formatted single density 700K bytes
SHUGARTSA860 DS/DD
Half-Height 8"
A double sided half ma
height 8" high speed]
disk drive. DC
only operation.
Same as used on Zenith Z-100.
1 YEAR WARRANTY S495each 2@S475each
Formatted 1.25 megabyte
Track to track 3ms
SHUGART SA455 DS/DD
Half- Height 48TPI
Adouble headed minif loppy discdrive with up to320K
on-line storage capacity. Plug compatible with any
standard5 W drive. ElectricallythesameasTM-100-2
andFDD-211-5
1 YEAR WARRANTY S245 each
Formatted 320K bytps, extended 360K bytes
Track to trark fimc
HEATH ZENITH H88, 89 or90 TWOET SYSTEMS
Dual internal half-height disk drives
Now you can replace your built-in drive with two
double-sided, double or single density, internal half-
height drives in either48 or96tpi format, with all hard-
ware, cabies, power connector adaptors, and docu-
mentation included. Our double-sided 48tpi works
perfectlyasa single sided right out of the box. You can
evenuse thissystem with your H-17 controller. Andwe
have the software drivers (at additional cost) so you
can run out 48 or 96tpi double-sided, single density
drives on it!
TWOET455 TWOET465
2 SHUGART SA-455 2 SHUGART SA-465
half-height half-height
48tpidouble-sided 96tpi double-sided
S595 S695
Both models are shipped complete with all hardware,
shielded metal mounting plates, data cable with chas-
sis connectors, and complete documentation.
WHATTO DO WITH YOUR INTERNAL DRIVE: For
onlyS60 extra plus shipping, we'll send you a singleS'A
case with power supply and data cable — ready to re-
ceive your SIEMENS internal drive! A regular S80
value. The external chassis disk I/O connector comes
with your TWOFT system
W.S.T. DISK DRIVES (formerly Siemens)
W.S.T. FDD-100-5B4 Same model used in Heath
computers. Added "Flippy" operation feature.
Works with almost any SA-400 compatible system:
RS Model 1 , North Star, S-100 and more. S235 each
C3-S195 each (with Shugart type Bezel)
W.S.T. FDD-211-5
Dual headed 5'/4". Records data in single or double
density, using hard or soft sector techniques. An exact
TM- 100-2 replacement Use in Northstar and IBM, or
any system using dual head 48 tpi drives. Same as
COMPAQ. S265each.
NUMBER OF HEADS 2
FORMATTED DATA CAPACITY 320K bytes
extended 360K bytes
W.S.T. FDD-221-5
A double headed. 5V4", 96 tpi (80 track) disk drive.
Capable of hard or soft sector, single or double den-
sity, it's an exact replacement for the TAN DON
100-4. S335each
2 © S295 each
Increase your on-line storage capacity by 2.5 mega-
bytes with Our new 8" double sided half height disk
drive. Styling matches IBM-PC. Utilizes Shugart half-
height 8" double sided disk drives. Allows reading
CP-M data files with optional patch.
FD-PC8 System S 1 270
Maynard Controller S245
(Allows use of two internal 5 W and the two outboard
8" system. Add $70 for parallel)
JFormat S50
JFormat-2 S50
We have half-height mounting kits for IBM and
COMPAQ computers.
APPLE HALF-HEIGHT DISK DRIVES Call for price
ENCLOSURES
ALSO
MODEL
CONFIGUARTION
STACKING
DIMENSIONS
AVAILABLE
PRICE
DH5A&T
2 standards'*"
horizontal
17"Lx12"Wx5"H
external chassis
connector/
blank plates
SI 25.00
SV5A&T
1 standard 5 V
vertical
11VLx3*a"Wx6* , H
vertical 5'«" case
tor2 half-height
drives
S5500
or
S7500
lor '? height
DV5A&T
2 standards 1 .*"
vertical
11V?"Lx6"Wx7"H
-
S85.00
D5HHHA&T
2 hall-height +
space for single
board computer
horizontal
17"Lx 12"W x3V ? "H
blank plates
ext. chassis conn.
S 12 5.00
5SHA&T
1 standard S%" or
2 half-height drives
horizontal
12"Lx8"Wx4"H
blank plate
ext. chassis conn.
$95.00
5SHHDA&T
1 standard or
2 half-height
hard disks
horizontal
12"Lx8"Wx4"H
blank plate
$165.00
8" ENCLOSURES
All 1 00% ourdesign, theseB" enclosuresf eature a front panelpower switch designed with 1 " clearance over the drive to
accomodate a big board computer or a hard disk controller. All 1 6 gauge metal construction with DB 25 cutouts on the
rearpanel.CP-206supplymountingholes,whicharestandardforthe8'" drive industry.
DH8A&T
2 standard 8"
{such as
SHUGART 800-R
series orSIEMENS
FDD-100 series)
horizontal
2V'Lx17V*"Wx6V*"H
ext. chassis conn.
S295 00
SH8A&T
1 standard 8" or
2 hall-height drives
+ space for single
boardcomputer
horizontal
16"L kWWx6VH
blank plates
ext chassis conn
S285.00
DHHH8A&T
for SHUGART
TANDON848
or similar 8 '
hall-height designs
horizontal
205 L x 17 Wx4 H
blank plates
ext chassis conn.
S320 00
FDPC8
for SHUGART
810-860 matches
IBM-PC or
horizontal
blank plates
S32OO0
Zenith systems
I
MULTIDISPLAY
For IBM-PC, contains both mono and color display
plus printer port, all on one card S575
PGS MONITOR
The best RGB monitor going S475
SAN DSTAR MODULES FROM MAYNARD
Sandstar Serial Port Module
Totally compatible with
software written for
IBM Asynchronous
Adaptor. Connects to MODEM, serial printer, or any
standard RS232-C interface device. Port may be con-
figured as Serial Pert # 1 or #2. Can use IBM diagnos-
tics. MSE1301 ...S1 05.00
SandStar Clock Calendar Module
Features clock and calendar with battery backup, which
runs when PC power is turned off or plug is disconnected.
Correct time and date loaded each time system is
powered up. Software included. MCL1 303 . . . S85.00
SandStar Parallel Port Module
A Centronics compatible I/O port. Use as general pur-
pose I/O port or connect to printer. Utilizes same type
connectorandpinsas IBM Parallel Printer Adaptor, and
is 1 00% compatible with its software. Configure as Port
# 1 or #2. Can use IBM diagnostics MPA1 302 . . S75.00
SandStar Memory Module
Use with SandStar Memory Card. Expandsmemoryby
320K bytes for 640K bytes total system memory. Uses
onlyone IBM expansion card. Noconfiguration required
before plug in.
Module may be purchased with any 64 K increment and
easily expanded to 320K. Electronic disc and print
spooling software are also available.
M MODOOO OK SI 1 500
M MOD064 64K S205.00
M MOD 1 28 1 28K S300.00
MMOD192 192K S390.00
M MOD256 256K S485.00
MMOD320 320K S580.00
SandStar Game Adaptor Module
Attach up to 4 paddles and 2 joysticks to your IBM PC.
Canbe used for general purposeinput,with4 digitaland
4 analog inputs. 100% compatible with IBM PC soft-
ware. Uses same type 15 pin "D" subminiature I/O con-
nector as the IBM Game Control Adaptor.
Maynard Electronics Multi-Function
Memory Expansion Board
Adds form 64K bytes to 256K bytes to your IBM-PC.
Expandable with either 1 or 2 optional asynchronous
serial (RS232-C) ports Engineered for total compat-
iblility with IBM I/O specs. Parity generation and de-
tection included. Ready to plug into 64K byte systems.
Optionally available with 1 or 2 RS232-C ports with
20mA current loop. 100% compatible with IBM hard-
ware and software, and may be used to connect your
computer to a modem serial printer orother devices with
computer interface. Board ports may be enabledor dis-
abled and assigned as COM 1 and/or COM2.
MMF 1000 OK S210.00
MMF1064 64K S305.00
MMF 1128 128K S4 10.00
MMF1192 192K S510.00
MMF 1256 256K S615.00
MMF1SER S1 00.00
(with one serial port added)
MMF2SER S160.00
{with two serial ports added)
(No parallel available).
Maynard Disk Controllers RET.
Description
MODFDC (Controller w/mod ports) S265
FDC8 (8" Controller) S245
FDC 5*4 (5V Controller) S195
FDCPARALLEL (Contr. and para ports) S275
FDCSERIAL (Contr. and serial ports) S285
FDC8 PARA (8" Contr. and para ports) S31 5
HDM (hard disk module) S495
CONTROLLERS Magnolia Micro-systems
for the H-89 & Z-90 Double Density Disc
controller including CP/M 2.2
Complete hardware & software support for:
-Four 5' 4" and Four 8" single or double sided drives
-48 TPI (40 track) drives
-9G TPI (80 track) drives
-3-5VV drives supported by Heath Zenith controller
H-17
This package includes:
-double density controller card
-CP/M 2.2 on either 5' «' or 8" media
-new I/O decoder and monitor PROMs
Shipping weight 7 lbs.
DATA ttuwt^m sate*
CONNECTORS ^flHi |£
50 pin edge card 609-5015 50 pin inline end connector
34 pmedgecard 609-3415 609 5001 M
50 pin inline chassis 34 pin inline end connector
609-5016 609-3401 M
34 pin mime chassis
609-34 16
POWER
CONNECTORS &>*** =
stacking bracket for AC socket 8 . single sided
5V or 8' half-height drives C 1120
SB5orSB8 5% DC connector C1116
SA 810/860 DC power 5' 4 DC socket C1119
C1115 PCB-8 DC C1122
SA 850/851 FDD-200-8-AC free-Standing 8
8" doublesided C1114DC connector socket C1121
8' AC connector standard. 8 DC standard C1112
single sided C1113
We sell many other disk drive models too
numerous to list here. We encourage you to call for
our latest pricing and catalog. Due to production dead-
lines, prices are 60 days old. Please call! Dealer
inquiries invited. In our 5th year!
Prices and specifications subject to change
without notice
MasterCard, VISA accepted. NJ residents.
add 6% sales tax.
Shipping charges: $3.00 first 4 lbs., $.40 each
additional lb.
COD charge $5.00.
TOLL FREE ORDER LINE: 800-223-0306
In NJ, Call: 609-799-4440 9:00 am-5:30 pm est.
"FLOPPY
IDISK
■SE RVICES
FLOPPY DISK
SERVICES. IN
741 Alexander Road
Princeton. NJ 08540
Circle 164 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 511
maxell
Floppy Discs
CALL NOW -TOLL FREE
1-800-328-DISC
Dealer inquiries invited. C.O.D.'s and
charge cards accepted.
All orders shipped from stock,
within 24 hours. Call toll FREE.
Aki. w
North Hills Corporation
3564 Rollmg View Dr.
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
1-800-328-DISC
MN Call Collect 1-612-770-0485
"""Heath
Users
Double Your
' disk storage
capacity without adding a drive.
Get twice as much from your H88 or
H89 microcomputer. Our FDC-880H
floppy disk controller, in conjunction
with your 5 1 /" drives, for example,
expands memory capacity from 256
bytes to 512 bytes per sector.
And it handles single and double-
sided, single and double-density, 8" and
5 1 /" drives — simultaneously.
Ol
C.D.R. Systems Inc.
Controlled Data Recording Systems Inc.
7210 Cuiirmont Mesa Blvd., San Diego, C A 92111
(619) 560-1272
THE FULL-FEATURED KEYBOARD EXPANDER
Redefine any key to send a string of characters.
MagiKey™ does more ...
• automates application software, integrates
function or cursor keys
• "help" menus displayed at any time
• built-in batch processing more powerful
than SUBMIT or XSUB
• strings can redefine keys, pause for fill-the-
blanks keyboard input, or contain nested
key definitions
• invisible to system and soft are
• for any 8080-8085-Z80-CP/M 2.2, no
system or soft are modifications
$ioo
8" SSSD, Koypro 5/." - inquire about other SY," formats
check, VISA. MC add 6% tax in CA
microSystems
W 16609 Sagowood Lane
CP M dm) Digital Reseoich
Poway, California 92064
(619} 693-1022
Circle 57 on inquiry card.
Circle 295 on inquiry card.
&TDK
flexible disks
Call Free (800)235-4137
for prices and information.
Dealer inquiries invited.
C.O.D. and charge cards
accepted.
VISA'
PACIFIC
EXCHANGES
100 Foothill Blvd
San Luis Obispo. CA
93401 (InCal call
(805)543-1037)
The Statistician
CPM IBM-PC
TRS-DOS XENIX
Multiple Regression
Stepwise
Ridge
All Subsets
Backward Elimination
Time Series Analysis
Descriptive Statistics
Transformations
* Survey Research
* Nonparametrics
* X-Y Plots
*ANOvA
* Random Sample:
* Data Base
* Search & sort
* Hypothesis tests
Please call TOLL FREE
1-800-334-0854 (Ext. 814)
a
for more information
or write:
Quant Systems
Box 628
Charleston, SC 29402
VISA-M/C Accepted
The INTELLIGENT
GRAPHICS TERMINAL
All of this on a single S-100 board
• Full 512 color mapping pallette
• TTL/analog RGB color or 8 level grey
• 680x480 4 color and/or 340x480 16 color
• Transparencies, overlays, multiple pages
• 8086, EPROM, 128K RAM expandable
on-card
• Full editing terminal/graphics firmware
• Text throughput is greater than 2000 cps
• 10 windows, individually scrollable
• Programmable terminal formats to 113x40
• 64K x 64K virtual screen graphics with
clipping and scale
• Drawn/filled circle, pie, arc, polygon
• Complex fill patterns and line styles
Low introductory prices: Assembled and
tested $895. Partial kit $295.
Availible soon. Fully integrated expansion
card adds speech, sound effects, serial and
parallel ports, and time-of-day clock.
Advanced Graphics Engineering
P.O. Box 3403, Reston, VA 22090
(703) 435-8110
Circle 278 on inquiry card.
Circle 299 on inquiry card.
Circle 15 on inquiry card.
Computer Software Associates, an
established software house, sup-
plies software for COMMODORE,
APPLE, and IBM home computers.
CSA is currently looking to expand
its product base of serious programs
in the areas of home, education,
and office.
Computer Software Associates offers
over 30 years of market experience,
worldwide distribution, innovative
packaging, generous royalties, and
programmer support.
Interested programmers should
contact Mike Mahan, Product
Development Department, Com-
puter Software Associates, 50 Teed
Drive, Randolph, Massachusetts
02368 Tel. (617) 961-5700.
^■^ COMPUTER
SB SOFTWARE
^W ASSOCIATES
APPLE II COMPATIBLE DISK DRIVES
Mitac AD-1 only $189.00
Controller Card $55.00
Just Plug in and Run
VERBATIM
5!4 ' Diskettes SS DD Soft
per box of 10 $23.55
HARD DISKS FOR APPLE and IBM
Mitac AD-100 10 MB only $1395.00
TELEVIDE0
910 $429.00
925 $659.00
950 $859.00
MONITORS
Mitac 12" 20 MHZ
Green $115.00
Amber $115.00
IBM PC COMPATIBLE DISK DRIVES
National JA-551-2KHT $205.00
OZtech, ItlC. VISA/ MC Accepted
1400 Coleman Ave. Suite E-25
Santa Clara, CA 95050
(800) 222-6677
in Calif. (408) 980-9987
COMPUTER INTERFACES
-*.niB9 II
<WX«"
nr^
Convert your electronic typewriter
to a letter-quality computer printer!
Available for Olivetti Praxis 30,35,
40, & 41 and Adler/Royal 1005,
1010, 1011/5005, 5010, 5011.
• Centronics parallel or RS-232C
serial
• Easily installs inside typewriter
• Compatible with most computers
• Cable assemblies available
• Prices start at only £149.
one CALL TOLL FREE
28301 Industrial Blvd. 800-227-0376
Hayvward, CA 94545 800-421-5389 [In CA]
Circle 97 on inquiry card.
Circle 23 on inquiry card.
Circle 320 on inquiry card.
WHODLET
A2OTEAROU)
WORK WITH THE
WORLD'S MOST
SOPHISTICArED
LASER SYSTEM?
Or evaluate primary sensor performances of
multimillion dollar satellites?
Or manage millions of dollars a year in
defense contracts?
The Air Force, that's who.
If you're a talented, motivated electrical
engineer or plan to be, you don't have to wait to
work with the newest, most sophisticated
technology around.
You can do it now, as an Air Force officer
working as an electrical engineer.
Don't get us wrong. We don't hand it to you
on a silver platter. You have to work for it. Hard.
But if you do, we'll give you all the
responsibility you can handle. And reward you well
for taking it.
You'll get housing, medical and dental care —
and excellent pay that increases as you rise in rank.
Plus there are opportunities to attend graduate
Circle 465 on inquiry card.
school. If you're qualified and selected, we'll pay
75% of your tuition. Those with special
qualifications can even study full time, at no cost.
So plug into the Air Force. Because when it
comes to technology, the Air Force can help you
achieve great sophistication at a very tender age.
For more information mail in the card, or
call toll-free 1-800-423-USAF (in California
1-800-232-USAF). Better yet, send your resume
to HRS/RSAANE, Randolph AFB,TX 78150.
There's no obligation.
AIM HIGH
AIR FORCE
A great place for engineers
BYTE January 1984 513
S-100 COLOR GRAPHICS!
THE ORIGINAL TMS9918A GRAPHICS BOARD
• Field-proven board meets IEEE-696 standard, fully socketed
with solder masks, silkscreen and gold contact lingers
• Prioritized display with backdrop and pattern planes plus 32
sprite planes: eachpixel in a plane can be colored or transparent.
• Three graphics and one text display mode, maximum graphics
resolution is 256H x 192V in 16 colors
• Composite video output
• Onboard 16K RAM is separate from system memory
• Vertical retrace interrupt for real time clock capability
• 0-4 wait states for use with last MPUs
• All board options are DIP switch selectable
• Professional quality documentation with BASIC demonstration
programs and TTs TMS9918A manual
• Exclusive Graphics Editor
available on 8" SSSO
CP M-compatible diskette $1 89.95 *
MlcroPynamlcs
Corporation
6363 Poplar Ave • Suite 105
Memphis TN 38119
(AST)
ORDER DESK
1-800-237-8400 ext 440
Technical Inquiries
(9011-682-4054
'Price includes MICROSPRITE with documentation Graphics
Editor diskette- S9 95 Manual- S19 95- Bare board -S59 95.
UPS ground-S2 00 UPS air-S4 00. COO-SI 50. Foreign
add S15 00. VISA & MC welcome. TN add 6%
DEALER AND OEM INQUIRIES INVITED
£9 Dysan
^CORPORATION
Solve your dbc problem* buy 100% surface
tested Dyaan dkktttm Afl ortfcra stripped
from atodk wfchsi 24 hour*. Call toll FREE
(800) 235-4137 for prices and fcnfcmmutfcxi
Visa and Master Card accepted.
PACIFIC
EXCHANGES
100 Foothill Blvd.
San Luis Obispo. CA
93401 (InCal. call
(805)543-1037.)
[ APPL
X^ TheAr.
APPLEWARE, BMC
The Apple Users Group
Software Library Bonanza
At truly affordable prices!
For the first time enjoy your
Apple to its fullest capacity,
using specially packed disks
with over 60 outstanding
Firograms each.
not available from any other source] "*
Each packed disk includes an extensive variety of
interesting, useful and entertaining programs
indispensable to all computensts 1 Each mixed category
packed disk includes
BUSINESS • EDUCATIONAL • DATA BASE • GAMES
UTILITIES • SCIENCE • MUSIC • GRAPHICS • FINANCE
Library Disks I. II and III are mixed categories Dedicated
disks are
• GAMES • UTILITIES • GRAPHICS • INTEGER •
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. Each packed disk is
available for only 559.95 each.
WHY PAY MORE?
Order direct from this ad and Save up to 5150. Buy
Library Disks I. II and III and get a special bonus disk
FREE over ?60 programs for S1 79 95 + S3
shippmo. For the best value, receive all 9 disks featuring
over BOO of our best programs for only 65c each •
for a package price of only S389 Postage Paid)
NEW Business • Professional • Executive Package [enabling
you to bring your business to its hghest level o' efficiency) also
available, circle Readers Service Card for our complete catalog
For Orders Only Call now
TOLL FREE; 1-800-327-8664
Florida: 1-305-987-8665
Compatible with II.
VtSA
II Emu) . and Franklin Ace JFor 3 3 DOS]
Circle 248 on inquiry card.
Circle 278 on inquiry card.
Circle 31 on inquiry card.
CHIPS &
M
DALE LJ
THE INFLATION FIGHTERS!
4116
4116
2114L
2114L
4164
4164
6116
6116
6116LP
1791
1771
Z80A.ZSOACTC
Z80A PIO
8251A
8255
200ns
150ns
300ns
200ns
200ns
150ns
150ns
200ns
150ns
Disk Controller
Disk Controller
8/S12.00
8/S13.75
8/S 12.00
8/S13.00
S5.50 each
S5. 95 each
S5.20 each
$4.85 each
S5. 85 each
$20.00 each
SI 6.75 each
$3.50 each
$4.00 each
$4.00 each
$4.25 each
2716-1
2716
2732
2532
2764
2564
8087
68000
5V 350ns
5V 450ns
5V 450ns
5V 450ns
5V 300ns 28 pin
5V
8/$4.25
CALL
CALL
CALL
$5.00 each
$3.35 each
$3.85 each
$5.00 each
$5.95 each
Allow up to 3 wks. for personal checks to clear. Please include
phone number. Prices subject to change without notice. Shipping &
Handling for Chips $3.50. FOB Belfevue. WA. for all else.
Washington state residents add 7.9% Sales Tax.
CHIPS & DALE
10655 fS.E. 4th St., Suite 400
Bellevue, WA 98004
1-206-451-9770
Circle 59 on inquiry card.
Printer Cables
Parallel —
»*
.00*
$35
.00*
ALTOS
ATTACHE
ATARI
CENTRONICS
COLUMBIA
EAGLE
IBM-PC
KAY PRO
OSBORNE
SANYO
TI-99
$3 S .
00*
$3 S .
— SERIAL -
ATTACHE COM.
RS232 (DB25P)
{9 conductor 1-8, 20)
CABLES UNLIMITED
4030 Wabaska Dr.
San Diego, CA 92107
619-222-3366
Oo*
When it comes to quality software
for microsystems, DYNACOMP delivers:
STOCK MASTER (APPLE): $59.95
The Systems ... Apple Atari Canon Commodore
Compustar CP/M Franklin H/Z-100
IBMPCKayproMorrowNEC North Star
Osborne SuperBrain Timex TRS-80
The Software ...
ADVENTURE BUSINESS CARD GAMES EDUCATION
ENGINEERING GAMES HOME FINANCE INVESTING
LANGUAGES SCIENCE TAX PLANNING UTILITIES
Name brand diskettes: SI 9.95/10 (SS. SD w/hub ring),
includes FREE plastic storage box. Add S2.00 shipping.
CALL OR WRITE FOR A FREE CATALOG
DYNACOMP, INC.
1427 Monroe Avenue, Rochester, N.Y. 14618
Telephone: (716) 442-8960
Circle 383 on inquiry card.
Circle 140 on inquiry card.
SAVE MORE
THAN EVER ON
,3M Scotch
DISKETTES!
| Qty 20 (745)— ^^|Qty. 20
5V«" SSQD-96TPI (746) $2.89 ea.
5V4" DSQD— 96TPI (747) $3.95 ea.
(Specify soft, 10 or 16 sector.)
8" SSSD (740) $2.07 ea.
8- SSDD (741) $2.54 ea.
8" DSDD (743) $3.30 ea.
(Specify soft or 32 sector.)
Lifetime Warranty!
3M HEAD CLEANING KITS $23.00
Save even more on quantity ordersl
Minimum Order: 20 diskettes. Add $3.00 shipping
per 200 diskettes. C.O.D. charge $1.65 additional.
Visa • Mastercard • Checks
For fast service, call
DISK WORLD!
Nationwide: 1-800-621-6827
In Illinois: 312-944-2788
Suite 4806 • 30 E. Huron Street • Chicago, Illinois 60611
Authorized Distributor
Information Processing Products
DISKETTES
3M ScotcK BRAND
AT SUPER LOW PRICES
WE WILL SHIP YOUR ORDER
WITHIN 24 HOURS AND WE PAY
THE SHIPPING CHARGES
COD ACCEPTED
DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED
CALL TOLL FREE
800 922-8193
IN CALIFORNIA
800 468-1068
Tayco Buainaea Forma
Computer Supplies
Post Office Box 605
Newbury Park. CA 91320
Circle 349 on inquiry card.
Circle 121 on inquiry card.
IBM PC 256K
2X 320 KB DS/DD DISK DRIVES
FLOPPY DISK CONTROLLER
ALL FOR $2599
**L#>*
IBM PC256K COLOR GRAPHICS BOARD FLOPPY DRIVE CONTROLLER
WITH PARALLEL PORT 360KB DS/DD DISK DRIVE, PRINTER, CABLE
DOS 2.0, 10MB HARD DISK SUBSYSTEM INCLUDES CABLE,
CONTROLLER, POWER SUPPLY, CABINET, SOFTWARE
DISK DRIVES FOR IBM PC
Double Sided/Double Density 320KB $225
HARD DISK FOR IBM PC
5MB $1399 10MB $1599 15MB $2199
MEMORY BOARDS
AST MULTIFUNCTION $299
AST I/O PLUS $199
QUADRAM 256K MULTIFUNCTION . . . $399
HERCULES CARD $499
QCS BIG BLUE CARD $479
HAYES
SMARTMODEM 300 BAUD $239
SMARTMODEM 1200 BAUD $559
MONITORS
PQS COLOR MONITOR HX-12 $499
AMDEK, NEC MONITORS AVAILABLE . CALL
APPLE He STARTER SYSTEM $1599
DISK DRIVE f OR APPLE II & He . . . $219
PRINTERS
BROTHER HR-1 $750
OKIDATA 82A. $499
84A $999
GEMINI 10 . . . $359
NEC 3510 . . $1499
7710
EPSON RX80 . $379
MX80 $449
HAYES SMARTMODEM
HAYES SMARTMODEM
VISICALC $199
LOTUS 1-2-3. . $359
SUPER CALC II $199
WORD PERFECT $349
HR-15 $499
83A $699
93A $959
15 $529
3550 $1899
$2075
EX80 $599
MX100 $649
300 BAUD . .
1200 BAUD .
MULTIPLAN .
WORDSTAR .
MAILMERGE .
EASY WRITER
$239
$559
$199
$329
$179
$129
TAYA PC
Desk Top, IBM PC Compatible Computer, Runs
DOS 1.1, 2.0, CP/M86 $1025
COMPUTER POST INC.
22102 CLARENDON ST. STE. #1
WOODLAND HILLS, CA 91367
(213) 999-1041
CALL FOR FREE PRICE SHEET.
PRICES SUBJECT TO CMAGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
SHIPPING AND HANDLING EXTRA
Circle 95 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 515
SUP&
Apple 2E System $1450.
IBM PC System 2550.
Dynax 449.
Gemini 10X 269.
Okidata 92/93 4497829.
NEC 8023 399.
NEC 3550 1895.
Amdex 300/310 1 35./1 67.
Pi3 148.
Rana I 259.
Tandon TM 100-2 249.
Slim Dr. 5 1 /4 Apple/IBM 198.
Videx 80 col 149.
Anchor Mark XII 300-1 200 289.
Hayes 1 200/1 200B 4797489.
Koala lie 79.
Wesper IPI/BPO 6971 59.
Quadram 64K 269.
Software 30% OFF CALL
Computer Price Club
1 6783 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach, CA 92647
714-841-6160 FJV:!
ft TeleVideo DEALERS
• Fast Dump/Restore
over 600k per disk $60
• Type Ahead with Print Screen
64 Character Type Ahead Buffer $60
• 3270 & 2780/3780 Bisync Communications
from Phone 1 &Batech $700 & $300
• TurboDOS for TeleVideo Start at $225
• BIOS & Formatting for 802H
use all 20 MB $150
• 8" Disk Drive for 802 Computer
Drive & Software. . . $1,100
• RM Cobol™ for Turbo00§
Full System: $525
RunTime $175
• Standby Power System
200VA-400VA-800VA As low as $363
RM/COBOL is a registered trademark of
Ryan-McFarland Corp.
CP/M® is registered trademark of Digital Research. Inc.
TurboDOS is a registered trademark ofSoftware 2000, Inc.
PLUS OTHER G000 TELEVIDEO STUFF!
COGITATE, Inc.
SPECIALISTS IN UNIQUE TELEVIDEO SOFTWARE
24000 Telegraph Road, Southfield, Ml 48034
(313)352-2345
VISA/MASTER CARD Accepted
AFFORDABLE &
RELIABLE
EPROM
PROGRAMMERS
& UV ERASERS
See our ad on Page 80
LOGICAL DEVICES, INC
Circle 96 on inquiry card.
Circle 65 on inquiry card.
Circle 224 on inquiry card.
Scotch*
DISKETTES
Call Toil-Free
1-800-328-DISC for prices and infor-
mation. Dealer inquiries invited.
C.O.D. and charge cards accepted.
All orders shipped from stock, within 24
hours. Call toll FREE
North Hills Corporation
3564 Rolling View Dr.
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
1-800-328-DISC
MNCall Collect 1-612-770-0485
CONVERSE SB COMPUTER
AT LASTt A FULL IMPLEMENTATION of the original ELIZA program is
now available to run on your microcomputer!
Created at MIT in 1966. ELIZA has become the world's most celebrated
artificial intelligence demonstration program. ELIZA is a non-directive
psychotherapist who analyzes each statement as you type it in and then
responds with her own comment or question-and her remarks are
often amazingly appropriate!
Designed to run on a large mainframe, ELIZA has never before been
available to personal computer users except in greatly stripped down
versions lacking the sophistication which made the original program so
fascinating.
Now, our new microcomputer version possessing the FULL power and
range of expression of the original is being offered at the introductory
price of only $25. And if you want to find out how she does it (or teach
her to do more), we will include the complete SOURCE PROGRAM for
only J20 additional.
Order your copy of ELIZA today and you'll never again wonder how to
respond when you hear someone say, "Okay, let's see what this com-
puterof yours can actually do!"
ELIZA IS AVAILABLE IN THE FOLLOWING FORMATS:
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH GROUP
|-^^^gi 921 North LaJolla Avenue, Dept B
Los Angeles. CA 90046
(213)656-7368 (213)654-2214
MC, VISA and checks accepted
VISA
f^W ^^|
IBM PC COMPATIBLE
Slimline Disk Drive $215.00 ea.
(Shugart SA 455. DS.DD 320KB)
Slimline Hard Disk $495.00 ea.
(Shugart SA 706 5MB)
Computer Case Call
Keyboard Call
Power Supply Call
Disk Controller Card Call
Color Graphic/Monochrome/Printer
Interface Card Call
Compatible Bare PCB Call
3M Diskette SS/DD $20/box
3M Diskette DS/DD $28/box
Dealer Inquiries Welcome
ELECTRADE CO. (408) 946-2541
780 Trimble Rd M Suite 605
San Jose, C A 95131
Circle 32 on inquiry card.
Circle 149 on inquiry card.
Electronic
Circuit
Analysis
• AC and DC analysis
• Very fast, optimized machine language
• Worst case, sensitivity analysis
• Sweep component values
• 64 Nodes
• Compare circuits
• Log or linear sweep
• Full file handling
• Full editing, error trapping
• Frequency response, magnitude and phase
• Complete manual with examples
• Transmission lines
• Complex y parameters
• Available for CP/M, MSDOS, TRSDOS
• Price - $150.00
Tatum Labs
P.O. Box 698
Sandy Hook, CT 06482
(203) 426-2184
lUUrYiiiU
FIRST TIME BETWEEN TWO COVERS
No matter what type of computer you own, this
book will get you on-line TODAY!
Complete information on computer bulletin board
systems including:
•What they are (and what's happening).
•Kinds of information available.
•Public domain systems.
•Free software (and how to get yours).
•Blitz course in telecomputing.
•Buyer's guide to modems.
Over 400 verified listings. Periodically Updated.
On-line Logbook. Electronic Mail Address Book.
$14.95 P.P. Make checks payable to:
Computer Food Press
Div. of Coltrane & Beach
31754 Foxfield Dr.
Westlake Village, CA 91361
Voice Orders-(213) 838-7716 Modem Orters-(213) 559-9033
HOOK IN NOW!!
SPECIAL OFFICE
When ordering, refer to this AD and
receive your FIRST UPDATE FREE!
"CONTROL YOUR WORLD"
<0> WITH YOUR VIC-20 X
With simple circuits using low cost parts and our
program supplied on cassette tape, we'll show
you how to use your COMMODORE VtC-20 for.
■ Digital Thermometers ■ Digital Clock
■ Burglar Alarm - 2 Zone, Time Controlled
■ Fire Alarm - 2 Zone, Time Controlled
■ Dusk to Dawn Lighting with Photo Cell
■ Furnace and Air Cond., Clock and Thermostat
■ Clock Controlled Appliance Switches
Simple program variations in basic can operate
lights, motors, furnaces, machines, heat pumps,
radios, sound systems, test equipment, swim-
ming pools, garden watering, and more.
Your video screen will display simultaneously:
• Two Digital Temperatures • Digital Time • Two
Analog Inputs • Five Input Ports Status • Eight
Output Ports Status.
GET A LOW COST EDUCATION M COMPUTER CONTROL
ORDER YOUR CASSETTE AND INSTRUCTION 800K N0WI |
$39.90 PRICE INCLUDES POSTAGE.
Terms: MASTER CARD/VISA
The Continental Press, Inc.,
Toll free: 800-233-0759 Coll
Elizabethtown, PA 17022
ct in PA: (717) 367-1836
Circle 347 on inquiry card.
Circle 91 on inquiry card.
Circle 111 on inquiry card.
Lyco Computer Marketing & Consultants
TO ORDER
CALLUS
TOLL free 800-233-8760
In PA 1 717-327-1824
PRINTER
INTERFACING
PRINTER PAPER
AVAILABLE
■ Available for IBM PC, Apple, Atari, Vic 20 & Vic 64
SAVE -PR INTERS
EPSON
OKI DATA
LETTER QUALITY
SMITH CORONA TP2. . . $449.00
DIABLO 630 ..$1719.00
ALPAHCOM 42 $69.00
ALPHACOM 61 $1 29.00
NEC 6023 $369.00
NEC 8025 $699.00
NEC PC-8200
COMPUTER $CALL
RX-BO $SAVE$
RX-80FT ON
FX-60 In-Stock
FX-100 EPSON
MX-80FT PRINTERS
MX-100 $$CALL$$
MANNESMANN
TALLY
SPIRIT 80 $CALL
MT 160L $CALL
80 $SAVE$
82A CALL for
83A LOWEST
64 PRICES
92 on these
93 In-Stock
PACEMARK 2350. . . PRINTERS
ATARI 850
REPLACEMENTS
IN-STOCK
CITOH
GORILLA GX100 $179.00
PROWRITER 8510 ...$339.00
PROWRITER II $859.00
8800 $1025.00
STARWRITER $1099.00
PRINTMASTER $1499.00
STAR MICRONTICS
GEMINI 10X $289.00
GEMINI 15X $CALL
DELTA 10 $479.00
MODEMS
ANCHOR MARK I
ANCHOR MARK I
HAYES SMART ..
I HAYES MICRO II
Micro Bit
APP-1000
NOVATION
[CAT
I D-CAT
J-CAT
APPLE CAT U....
212 APPLE CAT .
S79.00
I. .579.00
5239.00
S309.00
$129.75
$144.00
S155.00
S1 15.00
S279.00
$589.00
MONITORS
Sakata Color $229.00
Amdek Color I $275.00
Amdek 300 Green $149.00
Amdek 300 Amber $149.00
Gorilla Green $99.00
CARDCO
Cardprinter / L01 $499.00
Cardprint DM1 $109.00
5 Slot Expansion 64 $54.00
64 Write NOW $39.00
64 Mail NOW $29.00
2-> Write NOW $29.00
64 Keypad $29.00
Universal Cass. Int $29.75
Printer Utility $19.75
6 Slot Expansion $79.95
3 Slot Expansion $24 95
i PRINTER INTERFACE $39.75
I PRINTER INTERFACE with
full graphics $65.75
I LIGHT PEN $29.75
HES 64
Sound Box $9.95
64Forth $55.75
Hesmon $25.75
Turtle Graphics $37.75
Heswrlter $28.75
Grldrunner $ 1 9.75
SPINNAKER 64
DUST COVERS
BOO $3.99
400 $3.99
1200 $3.99
410 $3.99
810 $3.99
1050 $5.99
PROWRITER $5.99
GEMINI 10X $5.99
PERCOMDISK $5.99
fcippkz
SSI
Battle of Shilo $26.75
Tigers In the Snow $26.75
Cosmic Balance $26.75
APPLE DUMPL INC. GX S99 75
APPLE DUM PUNC 64 116 Buffer} S1 79.75
INFOCOM
Zork I. II. or III $26.75
Deadline $33.75
Kindercomp $21.75
Story Machine $23.75
FnceMaker $23.75
Snooper Trooper $29.75
Delta Drawing $34.75
Shamusllc/d $24.95
Pinheadc/d $22.95
SYNAPSE 64
ZEPPELIN C/D $24.75
BLUE MAX C/D $24.75
DIMENSION X C/D ....$24.75
EPYX 64
ASPHIR $28.75
JUMPMAN JRR $28.75
■PITSTQPR $28.75
commodore
BRODERBUND64
BANK STREET
WRITER $49.75
CHOPLIFTER $24.75
LODE RUNNER $24.75
DROL $24.75
KOALA TOUCH TABLET.. .$69.75
ATARI
Computers for people:
O -
Voice Box 2 . $99.75
600XL ...$CALL
800XL for
1400XL... Lowest
1450 Prices
1050 DISK DRIVE .
1010 RECORDER.
.SSAVES
■S74.75
BARKER BROTHERS
Tutankham R $33.75
Super Cobra R $33.75
Astro Chase R $33.75
Frogger R $33.75
OBert R $33.75
Popeye R $33.75
Monkey Wrench 2 $52.75|
SPINNAKER
Story Machine R ..$26.75|
Face Maker R $24.75
Kinderomp R $20.75
Fraction Fever R ..$24.75
Delta Drawing R. . .$28.75 ]
BLANK DISKETTES
ELEPHANT
Single Side SD (10) $17.75
Single Side DD(10) 121.75
Double Side DD (10) S26.75
MAXELL
MD 1(10) $28.75
MD II (10) 138.75
CERTRON CASSETTES
CC-10 12 for $15.00
CC-20 12 for $17,90
INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS
Disk Storage (holds 10).... $4.05
Disk Storage (holds 15).... $0.05
DlskStorage (holds 50). . . . $26.05
TRAK DISK DRIVES
AT-D1 $379.00
AT-D2 $399.00
PRINTER CABLE $22.95
Software for ATD-2 .... $22.95
RANA
DISK DRIVE
COMPUTER CARE
BIB
5V« DISK DRIVE
CLEANER $12.75
COMPUTER CARE
KIT $19.75
HARD DISK
DRIVES for
APPLE IBM-PC
5MEG $1349.00
10MEG ...$1599.00
15MEG ...$1999.00
20MEG ...$2359.00
■Add S.U> OO tor TRS HO D, v.-s
TEXAS
INSTRUMENT
Disk Drive... $245. 00
FOR ATARI
COMPUTERS
AT88S1 ..
AT88S2 .,
AT**S1PD
RFD40S1.
RFD40S2.
RFD44S1.
..$299.00
..$535.00
..$439.00
..$399.00
..$675.00
..$449.00
AT88 doubler
'ffl B
TO ORDER
CALL TOLL FREE or send order to
800-233-8760 pTb^ToT
■Customer Service 1-717-327-1825 Jersey Shore. PA 1774C
POLICY
In-stock items shipped within 24 hours of order. Personal
checks require four weeks clearance before shipping. No
depositonC.O.D. orders. Freeshippingon prepaid cash orders
within the continental U.S. PA residents add sales tax. All
products subject to availability and price change. Advertised
prices show 4% discount offered for cash, add 4% for Master
Card or Visa. DEAl rR INQUIRIES INVITED.
Circle 230 on inquiry card.
twm
of looking for reliable
Source of Supply?
WMMWM
from Looking???
about
QUALITY??
DISKETTES +
RIBBONS +
ACCESSORIES
Call Bob Kelly Now. . .
Kelly Computer Supplies
181 1 Carl St. • St. Paul, MN 551 13
Toll Free ... 800 - 447 - 2929
MN Res. Call Collect. . .612/644-9030
MAXELL - DISKETTES
Circle 208 on inquiry card.
Tektronix 40XX
Terminal Emulation
EMU-TEK™ IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR
IBM PC, XT, AND MOST COMPATIBLES
• Access powerful mainframe graphics using:
—PLOT 10 (trademark of TEKTRONIX, Inc.)
— DISPLA (registered trademark of ISSC0)
— DARC (available from QUESTEL, Inc.)
—and most similar packages and services.
• Upgrade with complete software compatibility.
• Increase versatility with options such as:
—High resolution board support
—Local pen-plotter support
—Hard copy on matrix printer
—Advanced communications program features
—Other terminal emulations, including:
— VT100 (trademark Digital Equipment Corp.)
—RETRO-GRAPHICS (trademark Digital
Engineering, Inc.)
• 30 DAY NO-RISK TRIAL PRIVILEGE.
N 10801 DaJe St./PO. Box 615
FTGJ Stanton. CA 90680
(DATA SYSTEMS ( 714 ) 995-3900
FTG will soon become PC INNOVATIONS
Circle 160 on inquiry card.
CORONA
$2395
• 2 Dr. 320K ea.
• 128K RAM
• software
Your choice of DESKTOP or PORTABLE
• NEC 8201A note book computer $677
• IBM-PC 64K, 2 Drs, color graphics . . $2499
• COLUMBIA 2 Drs, Kybd, software . . . $2495
• EAGLE-PC 2 Drs, Mon, 128K, software $2495
• SANYO-550 IBM Compatible, 128K . . . $899
• FRANKLIN Ace 1200 OMS package . $1699
• FRANKLIN Ace 1000 Pro package .. $1199
• SIGMA DESG 10MB expsn chassis . $1799
• DATAMAC 10 MB Internal (IBM-PC) . $1499
• EPSON FX-100 the best of Epson $739
• Delta 10 better than FX-80 call
• DYNAX DX-15 letter quality, 16 cps .. $429
• SILVER REED EXP-550 20 cps, 16' * wide $599
• OKI 92 160 cps DP, 40 cps correspdn .$475
• OKI 84 200 cps DP, 50 cps correspdn $948
—Call for other items not listed—
MICROLAND 5223 Beechnut
Add 3% for MCA/ISA Houston, TX 77096
COD 15% deposit (713) 668-4695
(ship same day order)
\ferbatim
flexible disks
Call Free (800) 235-4137 for
prices and information. Dealer
inquiries invited. CO.D. and
charge cards accepted.
VISA'
PACIFIC
EXCHANGES
100 Foothill Blvd.
SanLuisObispo, CA
93401. InCal. call
(800) 592-5935 or
(805) 543-1037.
APPLE® -PROM
EPROM BURNER CARD
Circle 278 on inquiry card.
RIBBONS
CARTRIDGES AND
SPOOLS
PRICE PRICE
PER PER
RIBBON DOZEN
Anadex 9500
.. 13.50 147.00
.. 7.00 81.00
.. 5.95 68.40
.. 4.75 54.00
Commodore Pet 8023
C. Itoh Prowriter
C. Itoh Starwriter F-10
Data South DS-180
.. 6.50 75.00
Epson MX-70/80
.. 5.25 60.00
., 9.95 108.00
Epson MX-100
Epson MX-100 Reload
.. 6.50 72.00
... 2.50 27.00
Gemini - 10
IDS Microprism - 480
... 6.00 69.00
IDS Paper Tiger 460/560 ..
... 7.50 87.00
IDS Prism
... 8.00 93.00
Okidata - 80, 82 & 83
.. 2.50 27.00
Okidata - 84
... 5.00 57.00
69-3218 or
TO ORDER CALL (313) 5
WRITE FOR OUR CATALOG
DWIGHT COMPANY, INC.
15565 NORTHLAND DRIVE
WEST TOWER SUITE 804
S0UTHFIELD, MICHIGAN 48075
Circle 139 on inquiry card.
APPLE COMPATIBLE
Disk Drive $1 50.00 ea.
Controller Card $35.00 ea.
Computer Case $55.00 ea.
Keyboard $70.00 ea.
(Numeric and Function Keys)
Switching Power Supply . .$49.50 ea.
Joystick (Heavy Duty) . . . .$17.50 ea.
Slim Fan $25.00 ea.
Prices for dealers in quantities of 25 or more.
End Users Inquiries welcomed.
ELECTRADE CO. (408) 946-2541
780 Trimble Rd. Suite 605
San Jose, CA 95131
All menu-driven software is provided along
with a complete user's manual. All com-
mands are self-prompting, there are no per-
sonality modules required and all voltages
are on-board card.
BURNS EPROMS FEATURES
2708 2532 2732 *Auto erase verify
14995
2716 2516 2764 # Auto burn verify
2732A 2 564 * Partial burn capacity
janac *low insertion force
A9 95 socket
now Available apple- -prom console unit!
computer Technology Associates
= New Products Division
- - 1704 MOOn, N.E.
_j ^== Albuquerque, N.M. 87112
= = == i (505) 298-0942
„, — elf Icatlons subject to change without notice.
Apple Is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, inc.
visa 'MC/ae Accepted
Circle 102 on inquiry card.
(6502 & Z-80 dual processor) 64K COMPUTERS
(Apple compatible) in super modern styles. US$420
mmmm mm,,,.
■ , ..- _ v ■■>•'-'■ .,' . '({
■""""""' US$425 IBM pc look alike case
•(Above prices exclude drives, monitor) & keyboard
•Add 5% as shipping charge US$450
(Detail brochure forwarded on request)
•We also sell cases, keyboards, power supplies,
motherboards, components separately and Interfaces.
•Full repair & guarantee available
•Assembled in Canada with CS.A. (Shipment from VW\., U.S.A.)
ABC COMPUTERS LTD. (6 stores in B.C. Canada)
683 E. HASTING ST., VANCOUVER, B.C CANADA VGA 2Z8
PH: (604) 254-2834 & 254-1062 Dealer inquiries welcome
Apple is a registered trademark ot Apple Computer Inc.
Circle 8 on inquiry card.
PERIPHERALS FOR
APPLE AND IBM(PC)
ONE YEAR WARRANTY ON ALL ITEMS
ALL PRODUCTS BUILT IN U.S.A
EACH
P.C.B.
APPLE/SHUGART DRIVE |5'/4")
S179
DISKC0NTR0LLER(D0S32-3.3)
59
S 19
80 COLUMN CARD
139
29
(VIDEX EQUIVALENT)
80 COLUMN WITH 64K RAM
129
26
(FOR lie ONLY)
GRAPHER PRINTER INTERFACE
179
29
WITH 16K T0 64K BUFFER
AND GRAPHICS
0UA0 CAR0 (4 FUNCTIONS)
159
33
(PARALLEL. SERIAL BSR. CLOCK)
(PRINTER GRAPHICS ROM)
29
ZBD SOFTCARD
99
29
(MICROSOFT EQUIVALENT)
IBM(PC) BARE MOTHER BOARD
175 L
GEMINI 10X
289
SILVER REED 500
459
5Vi-." FLOPPY DRIVE ENCLOSURE
17
COLORADO COMPUTER PERIPHERALS
THE P.C.B. COMPANY
R.R. 6.B0X7-D GOLDEN, CO 80403
(303)278-7172
Circle 250 on inquiry card.
Circle 150 on inquiry card.
Circle 66 on inquiry card.
ORDER WITH CONFIDENCE
from one of the nation's laraest
consumer electronic parts distributors!
DISK DRIVE L0WEST
PRICE EVERI
Slim disk drive for
Apple II® com-
puter. New
in a box.
A sturdy
cabinetand 3' cable are included.
Runs on Apple controller or our
optional controller.
ORDER NO.
83-APL-DD-1
CONTROLLER
CARD
For two disk drives.
ORDER NO
83-APL-CTL-1
s 229.95
*49.95
IBM COMPATIBLE
JOYSTICK ^
Heavy duty
all metal.
Featuring _% ^^
ultra linear ^i^^ >ff\iw
pots, self ^^™ %^0^
centering, dual fine center
adjustments. The finest industrial/
commercial joystick available.
ORDER NO. - - - „.
83-IB-XY-23 $ 44.95
APPLE® COMPATIBLE
JOYSTICK With double
triggerfeature. (Four total)
light weight, linear pots.
ORDER NO.
83-APL-XY-9
$ 24.95
SELF CENTERING
APPLE" COMPATIBLE
JOYSTICK
With double trigger
feature. (Four total)
light weight,
linear pots.
ORDER NO.
83-APL-XY-18
5 l / 4 " DISK DRIVE
SPECIAL
MPI
MODEL
B-51
single side
doubledensity
BRAND NEW
Neverused.no cabinet
ORDER NO.
83-MPI-B51
s 149.00
REPLACEMENT
KEYBOARD FOR
APPLE II
Heavy duty — error f reeswitches.
Switchable N key rollover, last
key repeat. Upper/lower case
capability. Alpha lock, cable
included.
ORDER NO. -_— „.
83-APL-KB-7 $ 79.95
APPLE® COMPATIBLE
JOYSTICK t
Cord jj^^to^. -,:;!/
terminated •
with 16 Pin
plug. Our mosx
popular joystick.
ORDER NO. e-#* f-#%
83-APL-XY-10 S 16.50
y
DSI >^ ^
jtick. ^
RF MODULATORS
Use your TV as a monitor. Con-
verts video signals into RF. Hooks
up to Apple with no modifications.
FCC listed. Two versions: With
sound and without sound.
ORDER NO.
83-VM-42
ORDER NO.
83-CRM-320
'16.00
Without
Sound
Sound S 21-95
5A APPLE II
COMPATIBLE
REPLACEMENT
POWER
SUPPLY
Full 2A more than the original
power supply. Heavy duty. 110/
220V operation. Mounts directly
into Apple II case. AC cord
included.
ORDER NO
83-APL-PS-51
$ 79.95
5A POWER SUPPLY
With BUILT-IN
COOLING FAN
<&m
V
Newly patented Apple II® com-
patible 5A power supply. Fits
completely into Apple II case.
Eliminates the need for external
cooling fan.
ORDER NO. „ — „.
83 -A PL -PS -53 $ 89.95
DATA SPEC™ SUPER CABLES
Fully shielded— shock proof — low loss.
25 Conductor RS232 cable assembly
with 100% alluminex shield. Special
underhood molding
and shielding. ,$$£§&
The best ^^fP .™ B " - **5{JJ|^
cables /( '
currently
made!
ORDER NO.
83-MRS232MM-3
83-MRS232MM-5
83-MRS232MM-10
83-MRS232MM-25
83-MRS232MF-3
83-MRS232MF-5
83-MRS232MF-10
83-MRS232MF-25
LENGTH
3'
5'
10'
25'
3'
5'
10'
25'
PLUG/JACK
Male/Male
Male/Male
Male/Male
Male/Male
Male/Female
Male/Female
Male/Female
Male/Female
PRICE
$24.95
27.95
29.95
37.95
25.95
28.95
30.95
38.95
SOLDER TYPE 25 PIN
"D" [RS232)
CONNECTOR
ORDER NO.
83-DB25M
83-DB25F
83-DH25H
1-11 12-49
Solder Type $225 $2.00
Male o on
2.90
Solder Type
Female
Hood with
hardware
1.30
2.60
120
RF CABLES
RCA to RCA. Connects
computer to monitor, etc.
ORDER NO.
83-BRR-3
83-BRR-6
83-BRR-12
3'
6'
12'
PRICE
$1.95
Z50
4.50
Please Note: ORA Electronics products are intended to be sold to persons with a working knowledge of electronics and computing. If you do not have such
knowledge, please visit your local dealer for products and information.
MINIMUM ORDER $25.00. VISA. MASTER CARD accepted. No surcharges. Exact UPS charges will be added. PREPAID: Certified checks
and money orders, send exact amount. No shipping, handling or insurance charges in the continental USA. PERSONAL CHECKS: add 5% shipping charges,
allow 3 weeks to clear. INTERNATIONAL BUYERS: US currency and 20%extra for shipping. CA Residents, add sales tax.
OEM / DEALERS: send for special prices on your company letterhead.
NO PURCHASE ORDERS OR OPEN ACCOUNTS— NO EXCEPTIONS.
^
ELECTRONICS
"OUR SERVICE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE"
To order, call TOLL FREE: (800)423-5336
Calif. TOLL FREE: (800)382-3663
Local: (213)701-5848
Telex 181011 ORA PARTS NTGE
18215 PARTHENIA STREET, NORTHRIDGE, CA 91325
BYTE January 1984 519
t&fo FORMULA INTERNATIONAL INC. W^>
fcfcfcC Z^k 12603 Crenshaw Blvd., Dept. B, Hawthorne, CA 90250 ; v ^^^J
, For information (213) 973-1921 • Orders Only (outside Calif.) (800) 672-8758
pinecom
TM
Pioneer of Low Cost
Apple* Compatible Computer
No Copyright Infringements!
Compare These Features with Our Competitors:
• Powerful Utility Program (100% Apple Compatible)
• 68-Key Upper & Lower Case Keyboard with Numeric Keypad
• 25 Pre-programmed Function Keys
• 2 Speed Auto Repeat Funtion
• 64K User Memory — expandable to 192K
• 5A Switching Power Supply (110/220VAC)
• All ICs Are Socketed for Easy Service
• Nation-wide Dealer Network for Convenient Technical Support
And best of all, the price Assembled and Tested is just,
Now
with New
Improved
Keyboard
I 64K RAM
00
499
pinecom" dp-64
• Dual Processor (6502 and Z80A)
• Detached Keyboard
• 64K RAM Expandable to 192K
• 25 Function Key Keyboard
• Auto Repeat Keys w/Upper/lower Case
• 2 Slim Disk Drives (optional)
• 100% Apple II Compatible
• 40/80 Column Display (optional)
• Runs Both Apple Soft and CP/M Software
Model DP-64 Fully Assembled
$
625
00
AP-II COMPUTER A&T
Apple Look Alike
48K User Memory
Supports Upper & Lower Case
100% Apple II* Compatible
$
445
00
AP-II MOTHERBOARD
Apple II + * Compatible
48K Memory Space
8 Expansion Slots
Bare Board $69.95 ea.
Assembled & Tested . . . .$295.00 ea.
PRINTER by BMC
Parallel Interface (Centronics
Compatible) Standard
Microprocessor Electronics
80cps Bidirectional with Logic Seeking
96 Character ASCII
Adjustable Sprocket and Friction Feed
$25500
" SEND ONE DOLLAR
FOR OUR DETAIL CATALOG
Inside California
Outside Calif, (incl. Mexico & Canada)
Overseas
Dealer inquiries, Circle 165 . All i
Model BX-80 . . .
Shipping & Handling Charges
Under$50.00 Over S50.00
Purchase Purchase
10% 5%
ada) 15% 10%
25% 20%
All others, Circle 166.
MICRO II COMPUTER
100% Apple Compatible -
No Copyright Problems!
$47500
Model I 48K RAM .
Model II 64K RAM
$49900
$54500
Model III 64K RAM w/Dual CPU .
{6502 for Applesoft & Z80A for CP/M)
All above models are standard with Numeric Keypad, Function Keys, Auto
Repeat Keys, Upper/lower Case Function, Fully Assembled and Tested.
PERIPHERALS
Autoterm 80-Col. w/Softswitch
80-Column Card
80-Column for Apple lie*
280 CP/M Card (no software)
16KRAM Card
Parallel Printer Interface
Buffer for Printer Interface (16-64K)
Serial Printer Interface Card w/Adj. Baud
Disk Controller
Disk Controller DOS 3.2/3.3 Auto Select.
EPROM Writer Card (2716/2732/2764) . .
$99.95
.99.95
49.95
.99.95
. 49.95
.85.00
. 85.00
.85.00
.65.00
75.00
75.00
*SEND*
ONE DOLLAR
FOR OUR
DETAILED
CATALOG
Minimum Order $10.OO/Calif. Residents
add 6.5% Sales Tax. Phone Orders Accepted
on VISA or MC ONLY. NO C.O.D.s. Prices sub-
ject to change without notice.
STORE HOURS
MON-FRI-10-7
SAT— 10-6
*Apple and Apple II are the trademark of APPLE COMPUTERS, INC.
DIGITAL RESEARCH COMPUTERS
(214)271-3538
32K S-100 EPROM CARD
PRICE CUT!
SPECIAL: 2716 EPROM's (450
KIT FEATURES:
1. Uses +5V only 2716 (2Kx8) EPROM's
2. Allows up to 32K of software on line'
3. IEEE S-100 Compatible.
4. Addressable as two independent 16K
blocks
5 Cromemco extended or Northstar bank
select.
6. On board wait state circuitry if needed
USES 2716s
Blank PC Board - $34
ASSEMBLED & TESTED
ADD $30
NS) Are $4,95 Ea, With Above Kit.
7 Any or all EPROM locations can be
disabled
Double sided PC board, solder-masked,
silk-screened
Gold plated contact fingers
Unselected EPROM's automatically
powered down lor low power
Fully buffemd and bypassed
8
1 1
12 Easy and quick to assemble
64K S100 STATIC RAM
$ 1 992,9
NEW!
LOW POWER!
RAM OR EPROM!
BLANK PC BOARD
WITH DOCUMENTATION
$55
SUPPORT ICs + CAPS
$17.50
FULL SOCKET SET
$14.50
FULLY SUPPORTS THE
NEW IEEE 696 S100
STANDARD
(AS PROPOSED)
FOR 56K KIT $185
ASSEMBLED AND
TESTED ADD $50
FEATURES:
* Uses new 2K x 8 (TMM 2016 or HM 6116) RAMs.
* Fully supports IEEE 696 24 BIT Extended
Addressing.
* 64K draws only approximately 500 MA.
* 200 NS RAMs are standard. (TOSHIBA makes
TMM 2016s as fast as 100 NS. FOR YOUR HIGH
SPEED APPLICATIONS.)
* SUPPORTS PHANTOM (BOTH LOWER 32K
AND ENTIRE BOARD).
* 2716 EPROMs may be installed In any of top 48K.
* Any of the top 8K (E000 H AND ABOVE) may
be disabled to provide windows to eliminate
any possible conflicts with your system monitor,
disk controller, etc.
* Perfect for small systems since BOTH RAM and
EPROM may co-exist on the same board.
* BOARD may be partially populated as 56K.
256K S-100 SOLID STATE DISK SIMULATOR!
WE CALL THIS BOARD THE "LIGHT -SPEED-1 00" BECAUSE IT OFFERS
AN ASTOUNDING INCREASE IN YOUR COMPUTER'S PERFORMANCE
WHEN COMPARED TO A MECHANICAL FLOPPY DISK DRIVE.
FEATURES:
* 256K on board, using + 5V 64K
DRAMS.
* Uses new Intel 8203-1 LSI Memory
Controller.
* Requires only 4 Dip Switch Selectable
I/O Ports.
* Runs on 8080 or Z80 S100 machines.
* Up to 8 LS-100 boards can be run
together for 2 Meg. of On Line Solid
State Disk Storage.
* Provisions for Battery back-up.
* Software to male the LS-100 to your
CP/M* 2.2 DOS is supplied.
* The LS-100 provides an increase in
speed of up to 7 to 10 times on Disk
intensive Software.
* Compare our price! You could pay
up to 3 times as much for similar
boards.
64K SS-50 STATIC RAM
$1790
(48K KIT)
NEW!
LOW POWER!
RAM OR EPROM!
BLANK PC BOARD
WITH
DOCUMENTATION
$52
BLANK PCB
(WITH CP/M* 2.2
PATCHES AND INSTALL
PROGRAM ON DISKETTE)
*69
95
$39900
#LS-100 {FULL 256K KIT)
SUPPORT ICs + CAPS
$18.00
FULL SOCKET SET
$15.00
56K Kit $219
64K Kit $249
THE NEW ZRT-80
CRT TERMINAL BOARD!
A LOW COST Z-80 BASED SINGLE BOARD THAT ONLY NEEDS AN
ASCII KEYBOARD, POWER SUPPL Y, AND VIDEO MONITOR TO MAKE A
COMPLETE CRT TERMINAL. USE AS A COMPUTER CONSOLE, OR
WITH A MODEM FOR USE WITH ANY OFTHEPHONE-LINE COMPUTER
SERVICES.
FEATURES:
• Uses a Z80A and 6845 CRT
Controller for powerful video
capabilities.
• RS232 at 16 BAUD Rates from 75
to 19,200.
• 24 x 80 standard format (60 Hz).
• Optional formats trom 24 x 80
(50 Hz) to 64 lines x 96 characters
(60 Hz).
• Higher density formats require up to
3 additional 2K x 8 6116 RAMS.
• Uses N.S. INS 8250 BAUD Rate Gen.
and USART combo IC.
• 3 Terminal Emulation Modes which
are Dip Switch selectable. These
Include the LSI-ADM3A, the Heath
H-19, and the Beehive.
• Composite or Spilt Video.
• Any polarity of video or sync.
• Inverse Video Capability.
• Small Size: 6.5 x 9 Inches.
• Upper & lower case with descenders.
• 7 x 9 Character Matrix.
• Requires Par. ASCII keyboard.
WITH 8 IN.
SOURCE DISK!
(CP/M COMPATIBLE)
ASSEMBLED AND
TESTED ADD $50
FEATURES:
* Uses new 2K x 8 (TMM 2016 or HM 6116) RAMs.
* Fully supports Extended Addressing.
* 64K draws only approximately 500 MA.
* 200 NS RAMs are standard. (TOSHIBA makes
TMM 2016s as fast as 100 NS. FOR YOUR HIGH
SPEED APPLICATIONS.)
* Board Is configured as 3-16K blocks and 8-2K
blocks (within any 64K block) for maximum
flexibility.
* 2716 EPROMs may be Installed anywhere on
Board.
* Top 1 6 K may be disabled I n 2 K blocks t o avoid
any I/O conflicts.
* One Board supports both RAM and EPROM.
* RAM supports 2MHZ operation at no extra
charge!
* Board may be partially populated in 16K
Increments.
32K S100 EPROM/STATIC RAM
BLANK PCB WITH 2716
CHAR. ROM, 2732 MON. ROM
$5995
SOURCE DISKETTE
• ADD $10
SET OF 2 CRYSTALS •
ADD $7.50
$12Q 95
I ^%J # ZRT-80
NEW!
FOUR FUNCTION BOARD!
I NEW! I
FULL
EPROM KIT
$80.00
AST 1PROM
ADD 135.00
BLANK
PC BOARD
WITH DATA
$39.95
SUPPORT
ICS
PLUS CAPS
$23.00
PULL
SOCKET SET
$18
(COMPLETE KIT,
2K VIDEO RAM)
Digital Research Computers
P.O. BOX 461565 • GARLAND, TEXAS 75046 • (214)271-3538
We took our very popular 32K S100 EPROM Card and added
additional logic to create a more versatile EPROM/RAM Board.
FEATURES: * This one board can be used In any one of four ways: *~
A. As a 32K 2716 EPROM Board
B. As a 32K 2732 EPROM Board (Using Every Other Socket)
C. As a mixed 32K 2716 EPROM/2K x 8 RAM Board
D. As a 32K Static RAM Board
* Uses New 2K x 8 (TMM2016 or HM6116) RAM's
* Fully Supports IEEE 696 Buss Standard {As Proposed)
* Supports 24 Bit Extended Adresslng
* 200 NS (FASTI) RAMS are standard on the RAM Kit
* Supports both Cromemco and North Star Bank Select
* Supports Phantom
* On Board wait State Generator
* Every 2K Block may be disabled
* Addressed as two separate 16K Blocks on any 64K Boundary
* Perfect for MP/M" Systems
* RAM Kit Is very low power (300 MA typical)
32K STATIC RAM KIT —$129.95
For RAM Kit AST Add $40
TERMS: Add $3.00 postage. We pay balance. Orders under $15'add 75<P
handling. No C.O.D. We accept Visa and MasterCharge. Tex Res. add 5%
Tax. Foreign orders (except Canada) add 20% P & H. Orders over $50, add
85$ for insurance.
*TM OF DIGITAL RESEARCH INC. (CALIF.)
WE ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH DIGITAL RESEARCH INC. (CALIF.) THE SUPPLIERS OF CPM SOFTWARE
BYTE January 1984 521
IBM PC-COMPLETE SYSTEM
VERY SPECIAL PRICE
64K, Two 320KB Disk Drives, Floppy Disk Controller,
Video Card and High Res Monitor $2590
TAVA PC
Desk Top IBM PC® Compatible Computer, 128K
RAM, Two 320KB Disk Drives, Floppy Disk Con-
troller, Video Adapter and Monitor, One Parallel
Port, Two Serial Ports. System runs DOS 1.1, 2.0,
and CP/M86® $1995
CORONA ~~
Desk Top Computer $2395
SLIMLINE DISK DRIVE FOR IBM PC
DS/DD 320KB By tava corp . . $190
DISK DRIVES FOR IBM PC
Tandon 100-2 $240
ADD-ON Disk Drive for IBM PCjr? .... CALL
NEC SPINWRITER
7710-1 .
7715-1 .
7720-1 .
7725-1.
7730-1.
$2050
$2200
$2500
$2500
$2050
3510
3515
3530 ....
3550 ....
PC8023A
$1450
$1450
$1650
$1950
$550
HARD DISKS FOR IBM PC
MONITORS
AMDEK
300 A $190.00 /
300G $160.00 //
310A $190.00 ///
iv . ;
PRINCETON GRAPHICS SYSTEMS
Hi-Res Color
$340.00
$690.00
$390.00
$1190.00
$490
PRINTERS
DAISYWRITER 2000 CALL
OKIDATA
82 A
83 A
93 A
$440
$690
84 A ,
92 A,
$975
$575
$970
BROTHER
HR-1
DX-15
$750
$490
10 MB Hard Disk Sub-System by TAVA CORP.
includes Software, Cables, etc. Internal. $1295
MEMORY BOARDS
AST
10 Plus. Five function Card $199
Combo Plus. 4 function card. Fully pop. 256K $450
Mega Plus. Fully pop. 512K $890
AST SIXPAK 384K .CALL
QUADRAM
Quad Card. Fully pop. 256K $450
QUADLINK CALL
CONOGRAPHIC
High Res. Color Graphics Card $995
BIG BLUE $470
HERCULES Graphics Card $490
MAYNARD SANDSTAR SERIES
FDC 5 1/4 8c 8" $220
Multifunction Card $90
Memory Card $180
DISK DRIVE FOR APPLE
Slimline, or Standard $190
APPLE He
Computer System, Controller, Two Disk Drives,
Monitor $1590
■viiwim^ivi
631 E. First St., Tustin, CA 92680
PRICES AND AVAILABILITY SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
(714) 838-9100
APPLE is a trademark of Apple Computers, Inc.
IBM is a trademark of IBM Corp.
CP/M86 is a trademark of Digital Research, Inc.
522 BYTE January 1984
Circle 251 on inquiry card.
HOURS:
MONDAY-FRIDAY
7:30 AM-6-.00 PM P.S.T
SATURDAY
9:00 AM-3:00 PM
We Offer Yeii Here!
That's right. It you compare ihe benefits ol ordering from National Computer to all our competitors, you'll see why more smart
shoppers buy from us everyday. We save you money even before you order with our toll-free 800 line, and then if you find a
lower advertised price we'll try to meet it Since we stock what we advertise you can rest assured your order will be shipped
promptly. In addition, if for any reason you are not satisfied with any hardware you purchase from National Computer you
may return it for exactly what you want or a full refund. Check us out! We've been in business for over 4 years, and one glance
at our catalog will demonstrale the commitment we have to direct marketing ami to our fine customers.
VIDEO MONITORS
AMDEK 300 12" Hires green 145.00
AMDEK 300A 12"Amber 159.95
AMDEK Color I Plus 13" Color 329.95
AMDEK Color II hires RGB , 439.95
AMDEK 310G Green 179.95
AMDEK310A Amber ........ 179.95
COMREX5600 12" hires
amber 169,95
NEC 1201M 12" Hires green . 159.95
Princeton PGS HX-12 , 499.95
TAXAN Vision I 12" md-res
RGB 329.95
TAXAN 12" hf-res
amber 149.95
ZENITH 12" hi.res
green 110.95
KAYPRO
The anytlme-anywhere computer. In-
cludes CP/M, CBASIC, a spreadsheet
and wordprocessing software.
PLEASE CALL FOR MORE DETAILS.
PRINCETON PGS HX-12
IDEAL FOR IBM PC!
High Resolution 12" RGB color
monitor.
•80 character x 25 lines
•690H x 240V dot resolution
•16 colors, high & low Intensity
•Includes IBM PC cable
•Very affordable
CALL
We carry the Quadram Quadchrc
for only 1 529.95
Only
Now you can run Apple software on
your IBM PC. Advance technology
Irom ihe IBM PC peripheral leader."
Quadram has made It possible.
Ouadllnk allows using all IBM
enhancements while running Apple
software, Including all peripherals.
Now you can enjoy the best of both
software worlds Including hi-res
games, special packages not
available on the IBM PC. Apple-ize
your IBM today!
POPULAR SOFTWARE
WordStar by MicroPro 269.95
Random House Thesaurus . . .129.95
MaiiMerge by MicroPro 1 69.95
SuperSort by MicroPro 169.95
SpellStar by MicroPro 169.95
dBase ll/MSDOS or CPyM86 ..429.95
LOTUS I 23 .Call tor Details
PC Tutor by Comprehensive ...69.95
Home Accountant Plus 115.95
Crosstalk by MicroStuf 129.95
PeachtreeGUAR/AP4 pak .399.95
SuperCalcby Sorcim 139.95
VolksWriterbyLifetree 139.95
Microsolt Multi Pian 179.95
Microsoft Flight Simulator ,39.95
VisiCaic 169.95
VisiFile. . 219.95
VisiTrend/Piol 219.95
VisiSchedule 219.95
VisiWordfreq 128K) 299.95
E5IGLE coiiiputck
EAGLE PC-2
IBM Compatible
Includes 128K, two DS/DD 320K
drives, color card, keyboard, monitor,
two serial ports, one parallel port,
Eagle Writer, Eagle Calc, MS-DOS
and CP/M 86. Other Eagle configura-
tions available.
Call for prir:inrj
-APPLE COMPATIBLE-
Wildcat Mobile Computer
64K Ram, one or two drives, one
serial, one parallel port, RGB output,
detachable keyboard Call for rntiin
TAXAN 420
MONITOR
MODEMS
ANCHOR MARK Xll-Now Available
300/1200 BAUD, DC Hayes
Compatible 299
'"HAYES Smartmodem 300 219
HAYES Smartmodem 1200 498
COMPATIBLE MODEMS
FOR IBM PC
HAYES Smartmodem 1 200B . . . 449
Cactus Technology
Novation J-Cat 300 . .
RixonPC212A(IBMPC)
PC Modem Plus
115
CALL
349
ersonal Computer
. H 83 64K. 7 US/IH
keyboard, culm vidr'ii i aid I MS
DOS
PLEASE CALL FOR SYSTEM PRICES
For use witfi IBM Hadio Shack. Ap
pie, etc System includes Mouse
Systems Ml optuil nmnse w/pad &
RS-232 interlace
Only
$ 249 9
BIG BLUE Z- 80 CARD
ZH() wilh K4K |i Mm x. ■
hard disk inlrtrlfu > X ■ im V
RYAII |)S1 7 HO, .ml will.
MISCELLANEOUS
MM II ( liillll Pun I'M !)!.
MtAI I luysUi !• 59 9ft
KIIAI I I'.nldfnr. . 499ft
SWEET-P PLOTTER
* simple to uj>RtHle plnlloi wlir. h
^3lly interfaces In Ihe l'(, itHinij i
Centronics patallel putt I .timithitu
wilh software, sel of penis paprsi ,tim
operators manual I ik| Pricf? $79f> IK)
Special Offer 529.95
EPSON FX-80
EPSON RX-80
Call lor Special Price
tPSON f x ion
SIAR CiEMINI I0X & 15X
( IIOH PROWHITERS I & II
NEC H02:iA
IOSHIHA P 1350
ID!, PRISM 132 W/COLOR
Please Call for BEST PRICE
and Availability
Only
469*
liai.U.i tui Ml W
OKU)AlA9:i
OKIDAIA R?A W it
TRANSTAR 315
COLOR PRINTER
LETTER QUALITY
PRINTERS
i 1149 95
1649 95
1079
NIC 'tfiilf) ■J3(.|)S|»H(Hilrtl
JUKI RtOO 18 cos
HHdlllFH nrNAX Mil I
256K only
64K 289.95 128K 349.95 192K 639.95
512QUADBOARD
64K 269.95 256K 349.95 512K 639.95
MEGAPLUS
64K with serial & clock 339.95
128K 399.95 192K 449.95 256K 489.95
6'K wilh parallel & serial 379.95
128K 439.95 192K 499.95 256K 549.95
MegaPak option (256K) for
512K total 329.95
COMBOPLUS
64K with serial, parallel
& clock 339.95
128K 399.95 1 92 K 459.85 256K 499.85
I/O PLUS
Serial, parallel, clock and game
adapter owl 225.00
IBM PC Compatible System
Includes 128K, two DS/DD 320K
drives, 2 RS-232 serial ports, Cen-
tronics parallel printer ports, 8 IBM
compatible expansion card slots,
vlddo monochronefcolor/graphics
card, and IBM type keyboard. Includ-
ed with system is MS-DOS, CP/M 86,
BASICA (w/color graphics,
asychronous communications sup-
port, macro assembler) Perfect
Writer, Perfect Speller, Perfect Calc.
Perfect Filer, Columbia Tutor,
diagnostics and HOT LINE Support
Pleats call for price.
COLUMBIA VP PORTABLE
Featuring IBM-PC and COMPAQ
compatibility teamed with the most
comprehensive software package in
the industry to deliver all the func-
tions you need. Includes 128K RAM,
expandable to 256K, 2-5 V«" half-high
floppy disk drives wilh 320K DS/DD
9" green screen. 80x25" characters.
Full IBM compatible keyboard. The
unit only weighs 32 lbs.
PLEASE CALL FOR MORE DETAILS
ApparatJnc.
COMBOCARD II
Only
s 169 9
fgfBII \NIK( >NK ^" ,
^k\W iifikiu'k I lee liutu >•
FREDERICK
COLORPLUS
HI RESCOLORGRAPHICS CARD
Includes draftsman tihlily soltware
PIEASE CAiL FOR BEST PRICE
DISK DRIVES FOR IBM PC
randan rw too-2 DS/DD
Tandon5 , A"Ha'U Heiyhts
Dawmg 5mb
Davong 10 mb
Davong t5 mb
249.95
CALL
CALL
FOR
PRICES
Inexpensive IBM PC Compatible
The new SANYO MBC 550 is a 16 bit
IBM PC work a like lhat will run all
software currently available IBM PC
software Features include
• 8088 CPU • 128K RAM memory •
t60K Floppy disk storage • Color
graphics Centronics printer port •
Sanyo BASIC • Diagnostics • Utilities
• Speaker • Joystick port • MS-DOS •
Word Processing and Spread Sheet
Software all included.
All this tor less than S1000
Call tor more information and prices
on other configurations.
IRS by Quadram
PRINT BUFFERS
Please call for prices on the con-
figuration of your choice.
PROTECT YOUR
COMPUTER
Lemon, 6out. surge prot 49.95
Lime, w/power switch
& 6" cord 79.95
Orange. w/EMI-RFI filter 115.00
Plum, 3 out. EMI-RFI AC filter ..44.50
IBM PC Saver, In-Line Power
cord CALL
Diskettes
3M Scotch 5% DS/DD
Box of 10 35.85
Verbatim Diskette 5V» DS/DD
Box of 10 38.85
Disk Drive Head Cleaning Kit
(orSVi 27.
Your Guarantee of S atisfa ction
We guarantee every item in this advertisement for 30 days. If, for any
reason whatever, you are not satisfied with any merchandise purchas-
ed from us, we want you to return it to us at our expense. We will ex-
change it for exactly what you want, or will refund your money, and in-
clude any shipping charges you have paid. Sorry, software must be ex-
cluded from our policy due to copyright laws.
NATIONAL COMPUTER PRODUCTS
NEC 3550 Sprinwriter
for IBM PC
o„,/i88r
1 S H © T© ! National Computers Winter 1983 collection of State-
" - " " of-the art computer merchandise is available now.
You'll find dozens of products, including computers,
printers, video monitors, modems and accessories
for IBM PC, APPLE lie and many other computer
systems, all at the great price you expect from us. It
includes dozens of illustrations and informative
descriptions. And best of all, it's free!
To order please send money or cashier's check. Personal checks 3 weeks to clear Prices relied 2% cash discount
We accept VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and CartP Blanche Shipping, handling A insurance
charges; add 3% of merchandise total (mln. $5.00). California residents add 6% sales lax Foreign customers please
call or write. Prices and availability subject to change without notice. All equipment Is new and warranted by Ihe
manufacturer.
TOLL-FREE
ORDERING
800-854-6654
VISA*
NATIONAL COMPUTER PRODUCTS
8338 Center Drive, La Mesa, CA 92041-3791 calif. Alaska, &
Information on products, and order inquiries call (619) 460-6502 Hawaii call (619) 698-8088
DEALERS, WE BUY EXCESS STOCK, PLEASE CALL OR WRITE
Circle 2 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 523
KENSINGTON
MiOiMtm
SYSTEM SAVER
• Surge Suppression
• Fits Apple Stand
• Dual Outlet
• U.L Listed $1
• Great Gift!
65
APIC (APPLE ///PARALLEL)
IPIC (IBM PARALLEL)
ERAM80 column64K HE
MICROFAZER
0UADB0AR0 I or II (64K)
0UA0C0L0R I
0UA0C0L0R II
QUAD 512+(64K)
0UA0CHR0ME MONITOR
129.99
89.99
SCALL
SCALL
27999
234.99
209.99
249.99
499.99
QUADLINK
479.99
MICROSOFT
A.L.O.S.
APPLESOFT COMPILER
BASIC COMPILER
COBOL COMPILER
fLIGHTSlMULATOR(IBM)
MOUSE (IBM)
MULTI-TOOL BUDGET
MULTI-TOOL FIN. STMT.
SOFTCARD II
SOFTCARO PREMIUM (lie)
64K IBM SYSTEMCARD
WORD
75.99
116 99
259.99
559.99
3499
129.99
109.99
69.99
215.99
359.99
295 99
SCALL
MULTIPLAN
165.99
CP/M 3.0
279.99
Dispatcher 99.99
SMARTTERM II, or
Z-CARD II
129.99
380 Z
LETTER QUALITY
DAISY WHEEL PRINTER
• 48 K Buffer QQQ99
• 32 CPS %7%7%7
• Graphics
• 10, 12. 15 Pitch
• Proportional spacing
Sheet Feeder
Tractors
Cable (Please Specify}
NEW Stylewnter
599.99
129 99
49.99
SCALl
SP/HWVOrn
ALPHABET ZOO (new)
19.99
DELTA DRAWING
32.99
FACEMAKER
21.99
FRACTION FEVER (new)
21.99
HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE
19.99
KINDERCOMP
19.99
MOST AMAZING THING
26.99
RHYMESAND RIDDLES
19.99
SNOOPERTROOPS 1
27.99
SNOOPER TROOPS 2
27.99
STORY MACHINE
21.99
ALL OF ABOVE 214.99
R eagieBroC
Ul " i i1 , '.v';'.']' 1 'jm
ALPHA-PLOT
APPLE MECHANIC
8EAGLE BASIC
OOSBOSS
DOUBLE TAKE
FLEX TEXT
FRAME-UP
PRONTO DOS
TIP DISK #1
TYPEFACES
UTILITY CITY
24.99
19.99
24.99
15.99
24.99
19.99
16.99
19.99
1499
14.99
19 99
ALL OF ABOVE 234.99
EDUWMi'
ALGEBRA 1. II. or 111
27.99 1
COMPUMATH
34.99 1
COMPUREAD
21.99 1
COMPUSPELL
21.99 1
COUNTING BEE
21.95 1
DECIMALS 3.0
33.99
FRACTIONS 3.0
33.99
PERCEPTION GAMES
19.99
PRISONER II
23.99
PSAT WORD ATTACK
33.99
RENDEZVOUS
2799
SAT WORD ATTACK
33.99
SPELLING BEE GAMES
27.99
SPELLING/READING PRIMER
27 99
STATISTICS
21.99
APPLE I
SOFTWARE!
APPLE
HARDWARE
BPKGL.AP, AR. PAY. INV)
29999
BRODERBUNO Arcade Machine
44.99
1 CDP16K RAM CARD
39.99 1
1 Vi HeighlOS/OO Drive
259.99
Bank Slreel Writer
49.99
1 Printer Card & Cable
39.99 11
1 ALPHA Dala Base MGR II
16999
Chopliller
26.99
1 Fan w/surge, 2 outlels
39.99 M
1 Apple-IBM Connection
129.99
David's Midnite Magic
26.99
1 DAN PAYMAR Lower Case 1 (rev
1-6)25.99 I
1 Executive Package
115.99
7999
Loderunner
26.99
1 Lower Case 2 (rev 7)
19.99 I
Typefaces
CENTRAL POINT Copy 11+
2599
|i DARK STAR Snapshot II
89.99 I
1 ARMONK Executive Suite
27.99
CORVUS
SCALL
1 EASTSIDE Wildcard
119 99 I
1 ASHTON TATE dBase II
SCALL
OATAMOSTAzlec
29.99
i FOURTH DIMENSION Drive
219.99 1
1 Encyclopedia
59.99
Swashbuckler
26.99
■ HAYES Micromodem II
254.99 I
1 Friday
SCALL
Kids & Apple. VIC. COMM, ea.
14.99
Ij] HAYES Micromodem lie
SCALL I
1 AST Btards
SCALL
OATASOFT Canyon Climber
17.99
HI HOME Repeal Key
19.99 I
1 BRODERBUND Apple Panic
21.99
Zaxxon
29.99
I KOALA PAD
89 99 1
1 Serpentine
26 99
OLM Alien Addition Sch-37 99
H-27.99
1 KRAFT Joystick
44.99 m
1 CENTRAL POINT Copy II PC
25.99
Alligator Mix Sch-37 99
H-27.99
H KRAFT Paddles
3199 jj
1 DATAMOST Space Strike
2199
Demolition Division Sch-37 99
H-27.99
Jjj LEGEND 128K Ram
359.99 I
Pig Pen
21.99
Dragon Mix Sch-37. 99. H-27 99 1
|§§ MICRO-SCI Drive
219 99 I
1 Real Estate Inv Prog
69.99
Meteor Mulliplicatton Sch-37 99. H-27 99 |
I MOUNTAIN CPS Card
159 99 I
j Write Dn
6999
Minus Mission Sch-37 99.
H-2799
111 NOVATION Appfecat II
26999 I
1 EDUWARE Algebra 1
2999
Spelling Wiz
3799
H Applecal Upgrade 1200 Baud
1
1 Prisoner 11
2999
Verb Viper/Word Invasion
3799
j ORANGE MICRO Grappler +
119.99 1
I EPYX Crush Crumble Chomp
22 99
Word Man/Word Master
37.99
1 Buflerboard
11999 1
1 CurseofRa
1499
Word Radar
37.99
■fl Bufferd Grappler +
1^9.99 H
1 Jabberlalky
2299
EOUFUN Frenzy Flip Flop
23.99
Wm PADDLE ADAPPLE
24.99 I
Oil Barons
74 99
EPYX Crush Crumble Chomp
22.99
SH SATURN 128K Ram
379.99 i
| Star Warrior
2299
GRAPH nCALC
14999
1 Accelerator II
444 99 I
Temple of Apshar
2299
HAYDEN Piewnler
12999
1 Nep1une64K
19999 i
Upper Reaches of Apshai
1499
S argon II
2699
1 Neptune 1 28 K
299.99 I
1 GRAPH 'NCALC
149.99
INCREDIBLE JACK
12999
1 HAYDEN Piewnler
12999
JOR-ANO Secret Agent
KENSINGTON Format! II
L&S Crossword Magic
21.99
2699
39.99
1 HAYES 1200B Modem
1 KENSINGTON PC Saver
1 KRAFT Joystick
43999
SCALL
44.99
LEARNING CO Bumble Games
Bumble Plot
2999
2999
1 ACCESSORIES
1 LIFETREE Volkswnter
1 LIGHTNING Mastertype
11999
3699
Gertrudes Puzzle
Juggles Rainbow
Magic Spell
32.99
22.99
26 99
.:- : .
1 LOTUS 1-2-3
MICROLAB Highrise
Death in the Caribbean
SCALL
22 99
25.99
3 Ring Disk Sheds (10)
7,99
Moptown Parade
26 99
Printer Stand Small (plxgls)
24,99
Miner 20-49er
2999
Rocky's Boots
37 99
2999
22.99
2999
26.99
22999
53.99
37 99
Printer Stand Large (plxgls)
64K CHIPS (9x4 164-200ns)
16K CHIPS (8x4 116-200ns)
LIBRARY CASE
Flip *n File (ORIGINAL)
Flip - n File 25 Locklray
Flip T) File 50 Locklray
I'M 'J'J
79 Ti
9.99
< 'U
17 99
17 99
27 99
MOUNTAIN Harddisk
NORTON Utilities
PC CRAYON
PC TUTOR
PERFECT SOFTWARE
POOL 1.5
PLANTRONICSColorPlus
SIERRA ON-LINE Frogger
SCALL
5999
4999
4 7.99
SCALL
27 99
409.00
2699
LIGHTNING Masterlype
MICROLAB Highnse
Miner 20-49er
Death in the Caribbean
Dala Factory
OOESTACHESS
Checkers
Odin
3799
Power Strip w/surge
17.99
Crossfire Lunar Leep. Mouskatlak
n 2299
PEACHTREE
SCALL
HAYES 300 Baud Smartmodem
199.99
Golf Challenger
1999
PENGUIN Graphrcs Magician
44.99
1 200 Baud Smartmodem
4 74 'JN
Ulysses & Golden Fleece
2 9.99
SIERRA ON LINE Frogger
24.99
NOVATION J CAT
104.99
SIR-TECH Wizardry
44.99
Screenwriter II
89.99
NOVATION 103/212 AUTOCAT
429.99
SUBLOGIC Pinball
29.99
Screenwriter PRO
14999
NOVATION 103 SMARTCAT
169 99
TMAKER
169 99
44 99
49999
16499
199.99
Ultima II
Cannonball Blitz
General Manager
Dark Crystal
44.99
26.99
169 99
29.99
NOVATION tNFONE MAX)
NOVATION EXPANSION MOD
MX&FX 100 RIBBONS
869.99
29 99
7 99
TG Joystick
TITAN 64K BOARD
VISICORP. Visicalc or Visidex
Visifile, Trend/Plot, Schedule ea
SOFTWARE DIMENSIONS ACCT +11 SCALL
MX&FX 80 RIBBONS
4.49
Visilink
SCALL
STATE OF THE ART
SCALL
OKI82.83.92.93GEM RIBBONS 2.99
Vision
SCALL
SUBLOGIC Pinball
26.99
USI Compumod RF MOD.
34 99
Vtsispell
17999
ULTRASOFT Serpents Star
29.99
Fingerprint
Visiword
269 99
Mask ol the Sun
VISICQRP
29.99
Scall
(Epson Enhancer) 44.99
EAGLE PC $CALL|
SORCIM
SUPERCALC
SUPER SPELLGUARD
119.99 ea
SUPERWRITER
SUPERCALC 2
167.99 ea
APPLE. IBM & CP/M VERSIONS
| |[Videx
APPLE WRITER PRE-BOOT
1499
CHARACTER ROMS
24 99
ENHANCER II
9999
FUNCTION STRIP
3499
HAROSWITCH
1699
MICROMODEM CHIP
24 99
PS10
169 99
SOFTSWITCH
25 99
ULTRATERM PRE-BOOTS
SCALL
VIOEOTERM WSJS + INV
21999
VISICALC PRE-BOOT
3999
ULTRATERM 249.99
VIDEOTERM 199.99
inpoconv
ENCHANTER
DEADLINE
PLANETFALL
SUSPENDED
WITNESS
32 9 !a
STARCROSS
ZORKI
ZORK II
ZORK III
24 9 fa
CP/M VERSIONS 57.00 MORE
MONITORS
AMDEK
PRINCETON RGB HZ- 12
OUADCHROME RGB HX-12
USI Pi 1 9"Green20mh
USI Pi 2 12" Green 20 mh
USI Pi 3 12" Amber 20 mh
USI Pi4 9" Amber 20 mh
USI 1400C Color Composite
OSBORNE Monitor Cable
Tl Monitor Cable
RCA 6" Male-Male
SCALL
489.99
499.99
116.99
119.99
146.99
136.99 I
288.99
SCALL
SCALL
2.99
lie to Prmcelon card cable 13999
TAXAN 1 2 Green 1 8 mh 1 34.99
icroPro
CALCSTAR
DATASTAR
MAILMERGE
REPORTSTAR
SPELL STAR
STARINDEX
SUPERSORT
WORDSTAR PRO
89 99
179.9
139 99
199.99
139,99
109.99
139.99
38999
INFOSTAR&
WORDSTAR
Call for special pricing
^continental
APPLE SOFTWARE 1983 BOOK
9 99
ATARI SOFTWARE 1983 BOOK
9 99
APPLE GRAPHICS BOOK
14.99
CPA(GL. AP. AR. PAY)ea
149 99
FCM/FL isl CLASS MAIL(AP)
61.99
FCM/FL IstCLASS MAIL(IBM)
71.99
HOME ACCOUNTANT+(IBM)
84 99
HOMEACCNT+(KAYPRO.OSB)
59.99
HOME ACCNT.+ (Tl PRO)
119 99
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
299 9!'
TAX ADVANTAGE
39 99
ULTRAFILE (IBM)
SCALL
DISKETTES
PRINTERS
HOME ACCOUNTANT
Apple. Alan. Commodore $44. 99
DYSAN5" SS/DD (10)
DYSAN 5" SS DD (100)
MAXWELL 5" SS DD(lO)
MAXWELL 5" SS/DD (100)
MAXWELL 5" DS/DD (10)
MAXWELL 5" DS/DD (100)
VERBATIM 5" SS/DD (10)
VERBATIM 5" SS/DD (100)
VERBATIM 5" DS DD (10)
VERBATIM 5" OS/DD (100)
3199
299.99
27 99
25999
37 99
35999
24 99
229 99
3699
349 99
VkDysan box or case
Double-sided, double density
10/box 100/case
38.99 369.99
SAN JOSE:
860 S. Winchester Bl.
San Jose. CA 95128
(408) 985-0401
MON-FRI8AM-7PM
SAT.-SUN-HOL. 10AM-5PM
MAIL& PHONE
ORDERS
860 S. Winchester Bl.
San Jose. CA95128
(408) 985-0400
SAN FRANCISCO:
1230 Market St.
San Francisco. CA 9401 2
(415) 626-2244
MON-FRI 10AM7PM
SAT-SUN-HOL 10AM-5PM
:i"\.- -..'W< yv-.i / v->*M \(uA)
C-ITOH PROWRITER
SCALL
EPSDN(ALL MODELS)
SCALL
OKIOATA82A
384 99
OKIOATA 83A
62999
OKIDATA 84P
96999
OKIOATA 92
489 99
OKIDATA 93
859 99
STAR GEMINI I OX
SCALL
STAR GEMINI 15X
SCALL
STAR DELTA
SCALL
TRANSTAR
SCALL
RIBBONS IN STOCK FOR MOST MODELS
COMPUTER DISCOUNT PRODUCTS
SMITH CORONA
TP2 499.99
No Charge For Credit Cards
Prices Subject To Change
Software Sales Are Final
Mm. S4.00 Shipping Charge
Purchase Orders Call First
-524 BYTE January 1984
Circle 90 on inquiry card.
TOLL-FREE
ORDERING:
800-222-8686
FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT/
SERVICE / IN ARIZONA:
602-282-6299
PPT CUSTOM COMPUTER
OO I TECHNOLOGY
1 CRAFTSMAN COURT - BOX 4160 - SEDONA, ARIZONA 86340
Purchase your Hardware and Software directly from an OEM/Systems Integrator. Takeadvantageof our buying power". We
stock a full line of Board Level Components, Software, and Peripherals. Call for your needs. We'll give you the Lowest
Prices, and the Technical Support and Know-How we are quickly becoming well-known for. Satisfied Customers Nation-
wide! The Nations's Custom Systems House for Business, Education and Science. Call for a system quote.
• FOREMOST QUALITY • ADVANCED SUPPORT • REASONABLE COST •
OF PRIME INTEREST
Our prime interest at CCT is service and
support. We build and sell hundreds of
systems per year to the serious computer
market. We rigidly adhere to our strict
policy of reliable machines, and reliable
people behind them. We feel the Com-
puPro product line to be the state-of-the-
art of the computer industry.
THE CCT EXCLUSIVE WARRANTY
With any system we build, we provide,
in writing, an unconditional 12 month
direct warranty on the entire system, in-
cluding mainframe, boards, drives, power
supplies, cabling and peripherals! We of-
fer guaranteed 24 hour in-house repair
and/or replacement with just a toll-free
phone call. We can offer this, since we are
so sure of our level of quality and reliabili-
ty. It's great to know that in the event of a
problem, you're not out of business
waiting on service turnaround. We deliver!
Our various OEM contracts with all the
manufacturers of the components we in-
tegrate, allow us this unprecedented flex-
ibility. No factory O.K.'s necessary — just
getit running — NOWI
Wyse 100 terminal -14" Green ... $699
WS Prom Option - Installed $50
Mitsubishi 8" DSDD drives, full or half
height. Set-up FREE OF CHARGE .. $449
Okidata 82 $389/83 $619
84 .. $1029/92 .. $469/93 .. $779
Ashton-Tate dBASE 1 1 8 " or M D ... $299
Supercalc 86 - for CP/M 86 & MP/M . $99
Visual Terminals in stock Call
LearSieglerADM20 $499
Freedom 50 $499/100-$549
Hays Modem-$259 • Diablo 620-$1029
We carry a full line of software in all
available formats atdiscount prices.
TECH TIP CORNER
dBASE II USERS - CUSTOM TERMINAL
KEYS! Implement your arrow keys;
emulate Wordstar edit commands - send
anSASEwith $2.00- (ATTN: TTC). Tell us
your arrow key codes. We'll return easy,
detailed instructions to change almost
anything. It's beautiful — Pat. . .
PROFESSIONAL LEVEL BUSINESS SYSTEMS
STATE-OF-THE-ART QUALITY, PERFORMANCE, RELIABILITY
CCT ANNOUNCES:
INTRODUCTORY PRICE:
$3,399
OUR OWN IN-HOUSE ENGINEERED
CUSTOM COMPUPRO SYSTEMS
CCT-1 - ENTRY LEVEL S*-10*0 BUSINESS SYSTEM
• Enclosure 2-Desk-20 Slot Mainframe • • CCT 2.4 Dual 8" Mitsubishi
• CPU 8085/88 - 6Mhz 8085/8Mhz 8088 • DSDD Drive System - 2.4 Megabytes •
• Disk 1 - DMA Floppy Disk Controller • • CP/M 80 - 2.2 LD/M - CCT Modified •
• RAM 16 - 64K Static RAM - 12 Mhz • • All Cabling, Complete CCT Assembly,
• Interfacer 4 - 3 Serial/2 Parallel I/O • Testing, and Minimum 20 Hour Burn-in •
RUNS ALL STANDARD 8" CP/M SOFTWARE - INCLUDES OUR EXCLUSIVE 12 MONTH DIRECT WARRANTY
CP/ M M P/ M NOTE: Each copy we furnish is CCT modified for the target system. M-Drive/ H and hard disk drivers are furnished,
and the BIOS optimized for the fastest disk step rate, as well asterminal and printer compatibility.
• • CCT-2- THE FASTEStVcROCOMPUTER IN THE WORLD!! * *
Enclosure 2-Desk • 90K Baud Parallel Terminal Board • 78 Key Professional Ergonomic Keyboard
CPU 8086 -10Mhz • Disk 1 • 512K M-Drive/H • High Resolution Amber Monitor. INTRODUCTORY PRICE:
128K-16 Bit Memory • CP/M 86 -CCT Modified • CCT 2.4 Dual DSDD Drive System
Interfacer 3-8 • SS1 • All Cabling, Complete CCT Assembly, Testing, & Minimum 20 Hour Burn-in
RUNS ALL CP/M 86 SOFTWARE ■ ULTRA FAST - INCLUDES 12 MONTH DIRECT WARRANTY
• • CCT-3-10Mhz68KSystem similar toabove,with128K RAM $6,699 * •
We are the largest in the custom configuration of complete state-of-the-art S-100 systems, at package pricing, with integration,
burn-in and programming. We custom build CompuPro systems / hard disk systems for business applications. Call for Com-
puPro literature, CCT system configuration data and technical information. We can save you money!
IIHUUUUIUHYPHIUfc
$6,799
* SUPER PRICES * COMPUPRO COMPONENTS * IN STOCK *
SYSTEM SPECIALS - ALLCCTA&T, BURNED IN: 816A-$4299 816B-$4999 816C-S6499
M-Drive CP/M-Blowout-$39 • Disk1w/CP/M-$449 • M-Drive/H-512K-$1149
CPU 8085/88-S319 • CPU 8086/87-$579/10Mhz-$659 • CPU 68K-$519/10Mhz-$639 • CPU-Z-S249
CPU 286-$1249/10Mhz-$1359 • Disk 1 -$369 • Disk 2- $599 • Disk 3- $599
RAM17(12Mhz)-$329 • RAM 16(1 2Mhz)-$359 • RAM 21 (128K)-$779 • RAM 22(256K)-$1399
lnterfacer1-$229 • lnterfacer2-$249 • Interfacer 3-5-$399/3-8-$459 • lnterfacer4-$349
System Support 1 -$299 • Enclosure 2-Desk-$599/ Rack-$649 • 20 Slot Motherboard-$210
CP/M80-$99 • CP/M86-$150 • MP/M8-16-$699 • CP/M68K-$279 • UNIX-SOON
86 Upgrade Kit: Consists of CP/ M 86, 64K Ram, System Support 1 , Cable - $749
Call for CSC Boards — New Releases — Operating System Mods/Updates
* PRICE BREAKTHROUGH *
Hard Disk Subsystems
CCT/Fujitsu 5V4" subsystem, includes Disk 3, custom
enclosure & power supply, all cabling, A&T, formated,
burned-in. Ready for any CompuPro or similar S-100
svstem: CCT-5(5.5Meg)-$1599
C'CT-10 (11 Meg)-$1899 / CCT-20 (22 Megh$2299
? ? HARD DISK DECISIONS ? ?
Hard/Floppy Combinations
An exclusive CCT innovation. CCT/ Fujitsu/ Mitsubishi
ultra-system: 5Vi " hard disk next to a 1 .2 Meg. DSDD
8" floppy. Includes Disk 3, custom horizontal enclosure
and power supply, all cabling, A&T, formatted, burned-
in. Will stand alone in any CompuPro system:
CCT-5/142099 CCT-10/1«$2399 CCT-20/ 1-$Z799
NEW DISK 3/5%" HD SYSTEMS *
2.4 Megabyte Floppy Systems
CCT/ Mitsubishi 2.4 Megabyte Dual DSDD 8" system.
Includes custom horizontal enclosure, all cabling, A&T,
burned-in. This is the fastest system available: $1149
With stacked half-height drives: $1175
All Systems Cany Our Exclusive 12 Month Warranty.
Prices & availability subject to change. All products new, and carry full manufacturer's warranties. Call for catalog. Free technical help to anyone. We can configure boards & soft-
ware for your system. Plug-in and go. Arizona Residents add sales tax. CompuPro® Trademark - W.J. Godbout; CP/M® MP/M® Trademarks - Digital Research
Circle 122 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 525
IS Hanilwcll
corp
4962 EL CAMINO REAL. SUITE 119 • LOS ALTOS. CA 94022
(415) 962-9265 • TLX 171947 HANDWELL LTOS»1-(800) 821-3628,
7400
7400
7401
7402
7403
7404
7405
7406
7407
7408
7409
7410
7411
7412
7413
7414
7416
7417
7420
7421
7422
7423
7425
7426
7427
7429
7430
7432
7437
7438
7439
7440
7441
7442
7443
7444
7445
7448
7447
7448
7450
7451
7453
7454
7459
7460
7470
7472
7473
7474
7475
7476
7479
7480
7482
7483
7485
7486
7489
7490
7491
7492
7493
7494
7495
7496
7497
74100
74107
74109
74116
74121
74122
74123
.19
22
.22
.22
.22
.23
2.35
235
26
.23
.22
.29
29
.39
59
.29
.29
.22
35
.29
.29
29
.29
.25
.45
.23
29
.25
.29
.29
19
.79
.57
.95
.95
.79
.79
65
79
19
.19
.19
.19
25
.23
.29
.29
.34
.34
.38
.34
4.60
49
.95
.55
.65
.35
1.75
.39
57
.45
.45
69
65
.69
2.90
2.90
32
.37
1.95
29
.39
.59
74125
74126
74128
74132
74136
74139
74141
74142
74143
74144
74145
74147
74148
74150
74151
74152
74153
74154
74155
74156
74157
74158
74159
74160
74161
74162
74163
74164
74165
74166
74167
74170
74172
74173
74174
74175
74176
74177
74179
74180
74181
74182
74184
74185
74186
74188
74190
74191
74192
74193
74194
74195
74196
74197
74198
74199
74221
74251
74273
74276
74279
74823
74284
74285
74290
74298
74365
74366
74367
74368
74390.
74393
74490
.39
.44
.59
.69
.75
95
79
2.95
2 95
2 95
.62
1.95
1.20
1.09
67
.67
.67
1.19
.78
.78
69
1.65
2.49
.89
87
87
87
1 20
1 95
1.69
4.75
.79
.89
.85
75
,75
1.34
,75
1.75
.75
2.25
2 25
9 95
3.90
1.15
1 15
85
85
85
68
85
85
1 39
1.39
1.19
.95
1 05
1.89
.75
1.40
3.90
3 90
1 25
.95
.68
68
68
68
1 45
1.90
1 90
74LS00
J
74S00
DIP SWITCHES
4 Position
5Posi1iun
6Position
7 Position
8Posilion
9(J
90
90
95
SOUND CHIPS
76477
76489
AY3-8910
AY3-8912
MC3340
2 95
8 95
9.95
12.95
1.49
MOS PROMS
2708
2758
2716
2716-1
TMS2516
TMS2716
TMS2532
2732
2732-250
2732-200
2764
2764-250
2764-200
TMS2564
MC68764
27128
395
595
3 95
5 95
5 50
7 95
5 95
495
8 95
11 95
8.95
10.95
16.95
12,95
39.95
25.95
74LS00
74LS01
74LS02
74LS03
74LS04
74LS05
74LS08
74LS09
74LS10
74LS11
74LS12
74LS13
74LS54
74LS15
74LS20
74LS21
74LS22
74LS26
74LS27
74LS28
74LS30
74LS32
74LS33
74LS37
74LS38
74LS40
74LS42
74LS47
74LS48
74LS51
74LS54
74LS55
74LS73
74LS74
74LS75
74LS76
74LS78
74LS83A
74LS85
74LS86
74LS90
741S9?
7<1LS93
74LS95
74LS96
74LS107
74LS109
74LS113
74LS114
74LS122
74LS123
74LS124
74LS125
74LS126
74LS132
74LS136
74LS138
7.1LS139
74LS145
74LS148
74LS151
74LS153
74LS154
7-ILS155
74LS156
7-ILS157
74LS158
74LS160
74LS161
74LS133
74LS241
74LS280
74LS299
74LS339
26
28
43
55
1 19
1 35
89
52
1 25
1 49
1 70
1 19
1 15
65
1 69
2 90
2 00
1 95
74LS162
74LS163
74LS164
74LS165
74LS166
74LS168
74LS169
/4LS170
74LS173
74LS174
74LS175
74LS181
74LS190
74LS191
74LS192
74LS193
74LS194
74LS195
74LS196
74LS197
74LS221
74LS240
74LS242
74LS243
74LS244
74LS245
74LS247
74LS248
74LS249
74LS251
74LS253
74LS257
74LS258
74LS259
74LS260
74LS261
74LS266
74LS273
74LS275
74LS279
74LS283
7<iilS290
74LS293
74LS295
74LS298
74LS324
74LS347
?<HS348
74LS352
74LS353
74LS363
74LS365
74LS366
74LS367
74LS368
74LS373
74LS374
74LS375
74LS377
74LS385
74LS386
74LS390
74LS393
74LS395
74LS399
7-1LS424
74LS668
7OLS670
74LS378
74LS379
74LS381
74LS640
74LS645
74LS690
1 15
1 15
1 99
89
89
89
2 20
1 15
1 69
1 69
2 20
1 10
1 10
1 19
1 40
140
65
249
1 75
4 40
1 95
1 95
1 19
1 19
1 49
1 89
189
69
1 95
1 95
65
1 95
1 95
1 70
2 35
2 95
1 75
2 29
1 95
1 95
2 95
2 95
2 95
1 50
Tel: 1-(800)-821-3628
Z80 SERIES
8000 SERIES
8200 SERIES
6800 SERIES
CALL FOR
PRICE
S-RAM
2101
5101
2111
2112
21 14
2114-25
2114L-4
2114L-3
21 14L-2
2147
HM6116-4
HM6116-3
HM6116-2
HM6116LP-4
HM6116LP-3
HM6116LP-2
1 95
3 95
249
2 99
8 9 95
8 10.95
8 12.95
8 1345
8 13 95
495
4 75
4 95
8 95
5 95
695
10.95
74S00
74S02
74S03
74S04
74S05
74S08
74S09
74S10
74S11
74S15
74S20
74S22
74S30
74S32
74S38
74S40
74S51
74S64
74S65
74S74
74S86
74S112
74S113
74S114
74S124
74S133
74S134
74S135
74S136
74S138
74S139
74S139
74S140
74S151
74S153
74S157
74S158
74S160
74S174
74S175
74S188
74S194
74S195
74S196
74S240
74S241
74S242
74S243
74S244
74S251
74S253
74S257
74S258
74S260
74S280
74S287
74S288
74S373
74S374
74S387
74S471
74S472
74S473
74S474
74S475
74S570
74S571
74S572
74S573
74S940
74S941
74S132
74S161
74S163
74S181
74S189
74S225
74S283
74S289
39
43
45
52
52
49
49
42
42
42
42
42
42
49
1 19
49
42
46
.46
69
72
72
72
72
3 69
54
66
1.15
1 69
1 29
1 29
1 29
73
129
1.29
1 29
1 29
2 79
1 49
1 49
2.69
1.89
1.89
1 89
2 75
2 75
299
2 99
2 99
1 35
1 35
1 29
1 29
75
2 79
2 99
2 55
3 10
3 10
2 75
7 95
7 95
7 95
9 95
9.95
5.75
5.75
895
8.95
2 90
2 90
2 15
2.95
3.15
2.15
2 95
7.75
4.15
395
Miscellaneous
4.95
6502
68000
8748
8255-5
82S123
82S129
82S131
93422
93L422
93425
93427
D2125AL-2
D2104
AY5-3600
6810
8304
49.95
24.95
5.95
2.55
2.99
3.99
8.95
9.95
3.95
8.95
3.95
1.95
12.95
3.95
3.95
LINEAR
LM301CN
LM304H
LM305H
LM306H
LM307CN
LM308CN
LM309K
LM310CN
LM311D/CN
LM312H
LM317T
LM318CN
LM319N/H
LM320K-XX'
LM320T-XX"
LM320H-XX-
LM323K
LM324N
LM337K
LM338K
LM339N
LM340K-XX'
LM340T-XX'
LM340H-XX*
LM344H
LM348N
LM350K
LM358CN
LM360N
LM372N
LM376N
LM377N
LM380CN/N
LM381N
LM383T
LM386N
LM387N
35
1 98
1 89
3.25
.29
.98
1.49
1.25
.89
1.75
1.70
1.49
1 25
1.35
1.39
1.25
4.95
95
5.95
6 95
95
1.75
1 25
1.25
1.95
1.20
5.60
98
1.49
1.95
375
2.75
1.25
1.79
1.95
1.25
1 40
16 RAM CARD
IN-LINE
PRINTER BUFFER
FOR ANY COMPUTER
ANY PRINTER
*64K Byte
'Parallel to Parallel
'Parallel to Serial
'Serial to Parallel
'Serial to Serial
Model BF64S *225. 00
For single computer
single printer
Model BF64M *395.°° |
For multi-computer
single printer
Allow up to four
computers
Share one printer
LOGIC PROBE
WITH MEMORY
FUNCTION
$22. 95
CRYSTALS
DRAM
32 758khz
1 Omhz
1 8432
20
2 097152
2 4576
3 2768
3 579535
40
50
5 0688
5 185
5.7143
60
6 144
6 5536
80
100
10 738635
1200
14 31818
150
16
17 430
18
18 432
20
22 1184
32
1.75
3.95
3.95
2 95
295
2 95
295
2.95
295
2 95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
295
2 95
2 95
2 95
295
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2 95
2 95
2 95
2.95
DOS3.3.CP M.
Visicalc. PASCAL
1YR. WARRANTY
$ 39.
MULTIFUNCTION BOARD
WITH MEMORY, I/O
CLOCK
FOR IBM P/C
CALL FOR LOWEST PRICE
SPEEDY EPROM
PROGRAMMER
FOR APPLE II
PROGRAMMING
2716, 2732, 2764, 27128,
2532, 2564
IN 30 SECONDS $ 99. 00
Apple I l/l le
Compatible $ 175. 00
Disk Drive
CONTROLLER
CARD *44. 95
SUPER COOLING
FANS FOR APPLE
WITH SURG
IBM MEMORY
EXPANSION KIT
IBM 64K $52.95
(9Pcs64KRAM)
HighQuality
Diskettes
5W SS/SD 15/Box
5V4'' SS/DD 17/Box
5W* DS/DD 27/Box
80 Column Dot Matrix
Printer
80 cps parallel interface
graphics printing compatible
with EPSON MX80FT
SALE PRICE s 299. 00
TMS4027
UPD41 1
MM5280
MK4108
MM5298
4116-300
4116-250
4116-200
4116-150
4116-120
2118
4164-200
4164-150
1 99
300
3 00
195
1 85
8 11 75
8 11 95
8 1295
8 14 95 I
8 29 95
4.95 ]
5 95
6.95 1
526 BYTE January 1984
TERMS: For shipping include S2 for UPS Ground or S3
for UPS Blue Label Air. Items over 5 pounds require
additional shipping charges. S10 minimum order.
1-(800) 821-3628 |
Hanilwcllcorp
1 4962 EL CAMINO REAL, SUITE 119 • LOS ALTOS, CA 94022)
1(415) 962-9265 • TLX: 171947 HANDWELL LTOS |
Circle 179 on inquiry card.
Computer Components unlimited
SUPER BOWL SPECIALS rf£
We Will Try To Beat All a
Competitor's Prices in This Magazine!
BMC Color Monitor
• Composit Video
• Great for Apples
$219
Dual $W' Cabinets
• Power Supply
• Hi Quality
• Mfg. by PC Products
CDC Disk Drive for PC
• Cadillac of the Drives
• Fully IBM Compatible
$239
Okidata 92
• 160CPS
Close to Letter Quality
$429
Hayes Micro Modem HE
• w/ Software
• Lowest Advertised Price
$239
Gemini 15X
• 15" Carriage
• 120 cps
$399
MicroSci A- 2
» Fully Apple Compatible
• Looks Like Apple Drive
$209
C. ItOH F-10 -55
• Letter Quality
• 55 CPS
$1395
Siemens FDD100-8
• 8" Disk Drive
• Sgl. Side/Dbl. Density
$159
2 For $300
Gorilla Monitor
• Amber video
• 12" Composite
LOtUS 123
state-of-the-Art Software
• The BEST!!
$329
PCS Monitor
• IBM Copy
• Color Res.
$479
Plantronics
• Color Board for PC
• Parallel Port
Great Software included
$399
Franklin Ace 1000
•64K
• Numeric Key Pad
Large Power Supply & Fan
• Apple Compatible
$799
IBM, Kaypro, RS232
Cables
• 6 ft. Long
$24 Hffiia f
omputer
Components
Unlimited
800-847-1718
OUTSIDE CALIFORNIA
RETAIL STORE:
11976 Aviation Blvd.
inglewood, CA 90304
MAIL ORDER:
P.O. BOX 1936
Hawthorne, CA 90250
This Ad Supersedes All Others
(213)643-5188
All merchandise new. we accept MC, visa, wire
Transfer, COD Call, Certified Check, P.O s from
qualified firms. APO accepted. Shipping
Minimum $4.50 first 5 pounds. Tax- California Res.
Only add 6V ; % sales tax.
Prices Subject to Change
Mon.— Fri. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sat. & Sun. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Circle 71 on inquiry card.
• r
PERSONAL /PORTABLE SYSTEMS
Franklin
Ace1000w/64K S 799
Ace1100 299
Ace1200OMS 1795
Ace Pro Pack 1149
Franklin Ace Drive 299
Apple Computer
IIEW/64K $ 995
HE Starter System 1395
AppleDrive 299
Apple he 80coi. card 49
IBM
PC64K. Keyboard, 1 Drive $1995
PC 64K, Keyboard, 2 Drives 2245
XTHardDiskDrive,l28K 4995
PCMonochromeCard 335
PCColorCard 275
PC Monochrome Monitor 335
Kaypro
Kayproll $1495
Kaypro4 1795
Kaypro 10 2595
Columbia
1600-1, 2 Dbl. Drives, Color Card,
Keyboard $2795
Eagle Call for pricing
Televideo
Teletotei S1395
Teletoteii 1695
TS803 1900
TS1603 2450
Compupro
816A $4195
Call for Compupro Board Pricing
Sanyo
MBC-555 $ 975
MBC-1000 1395
STM Computers
PiedPiperl $ 995
Hayes Micro Computer
300BaudSmartModem $ 209
1200 Baud Smart Modem 499
Micro Modem w/software 259
1200 Baud w/smart com for PC 409
Chronograph 229
Novation
>cat300Baud $ 109
Applecatn 249
FROM
SUPER
Computer
APPLE, FRANKLIN
Accessories
Advanced Logic Systems
CPM3.0Card(6MHz) $ 299
ZCard 139
CPMCard + SuperCalc 499
Astar
RF Modulator S 18
Fan 39
Hi-quality Joystick 29
Gibson
Lightpen. $ 239
Micro Max
80 col. for ll + or Franklin, Inverse Char.,
Softswitch, VidexCompatible $ 139
80 COl. forllEw/64Kexp.128K 139
Kensington
SystemSaver S 79
Micro Soft
Softcardw/cpm $ 239
l6KCard 69
Premium Pack 499
California Computer Systems
Serial interface card $ 129
TC Products
Joystick $ 44
Paddles 34
selectaport 39
Kraft
Joystick $ 49
Micro Tek
Baml6Kcard $ 59
Serial interface 119
LOW PRICED
Hi Quality DISKETTES
Computer Components
5V*" Disks
SglSide/DblDensity . .$l8abox
Dbl Side/ Dbl Density 27 a box
8 Disks
SglSide/Sgl Density $l9abox
DblSide/DblDensity 29a box
All Disks come w/ Reinforced Hub,
5 yr warranty and not bulk packed.
Fliptubs
Smoked Plexiglass Diskette File
Holds70 $ 19
Call for all brands of Disks.
IBM PC ACCESSORIES
Ast Research
IO + $ 119
Combo + 259
Six Pack + 279
Mega+ 279
Mega Pack 279
Quadram
Quad Link $ 475
ColorCraphicsCard 245
QuadchromeColorMonitor 475
Tandon
320KDiSkDrive $ 235
Panasonic
SlimlineDrive,320K .....$ 205
CDC
320K Disk Drive $ 249
64K Upgrade
each64K $ 59
Paradise Systems
Multi Display Card $ 399
Plantronics
Multi DisplayCard $ 399
PC Cable
Printercable(6ft) $ 29
5V4 " & 8" DISK DRIVES
Shugart
SA400, Sgl/Dbl S 160
SA455, 1 /2Height 225
SA801R Sgl/Dbl 355
SA851RDbl/Dbl 475
Tandon
TM 100-1, 160K S 160
TM 100-2, 320K 235
TM 101-4 (quad) 299
TMTM 848-1 Sgl/Dbl Den 359
TM848-2Dbl/DblDen 435
Mitsubishi
2894Dbl/Dbl8 M $ 399
Siemans
FDD 100-8, Sgl/Dbl $ 159
CDC
9409T.320K $ 239
we accept all P.o.'s from Universities
CALL 800-847-1718 =
We Offer More Than
*a low Prices!!! ^
BOWL SPECIALS
Components unlimited
DISK DRIVES
FOR APPLE & FRANKLIN
Super 5
Sup-5( 1 /2 Height) S 209
Controller 69
Rana Systems
Elitel S 250
Elite II 400
Elite ill (Quad Density) 500
Controller(control!s4 drives) 90
Quentin Research
AppleMate $ 219
Controller 60
Micro Sci
A-2 $ 209
Controller 70
Mountain Computer
5meghardisk $1795
DISK DRIVE CABINETS
5Va" Cabinets
SingleCab.w/powersupply $ 59
DualCab.w/powersupply 85
8" Cabinets
SingleCab.w/fan&powersupply . .$ 209
DualCab.w/fan&powersupply . . . 259
HOT CIRCUITS
Watch Computer Components to
expand in this area. Call for all
volume requirements.
TTL
74L5244 $1.39
Dynamic Rams
TMS4027 $1.99
UPD411. 3.00
4116-200 ns 1.59
4164-200 ns 5.95
4164-150 ns 6.95
Static Rams
2114L-2 $1.69
6116-4 200 ns 4.65
Eproms
1702 $4.40
2708 . 4.00
2716 4.00
2732 4.8O
2764 6.00
Circle 72 on inquiry card.
PRINTERS
C. ITOH
Gorilla-Banana, 50cps $ 194
Prowriter85l0,120cps 349
Prowriter I1 1550 (15") 649
Prowriter I Serial 499
Prowriter II Serial 695
Starwriter F-10, 40 pu 1129
8600BP ( 180CPS 999
PrintmasterF-10-55 1375
Epson
RX-80(120CPS) call
MX-80FK80CPS) Call
FX-80(160CPS) call
FX-100 (15" Carriage) Call
NEC
PC8023A(100CPS) $ 399
PC8025 (15" Carriage) 699
Okidata
Microline92Pd60cps) $ 429
Microline92Sd60cps) 599
Microline93Pd60cps, 15") 749
Microline 93S (160 cps, 15") 899
Microline 82A (Par. & Serial) 369
Microline83A (15" Carriage) 599
Microline84P(200cps) 969
Microline 84S (200 cps) 1049
Star Micronics
Gemini 10X(120cps) $ 294
Geminil5d00cps) 339
Gemini 15X 499
Delta 10 449
Letter Quality
Brother Hr I $ 599
Comrexll 499
Juki 499
DynaxDX-15 479
Daisywriter
2000w/Buffer $1199
Call For All Printers
TERMINALS
Qume
l02,80col.Green $ 539
102AM 549
103,80/132 749
Adds
Viewpoint3A + S 570
Televideo
925 $ 719
950 . 919
Computer
Components
Unlimited
800-847-1718
OUTSIDE CALIFORNIA
RETAIL STORE:
11976 Aviation Blvd.
Inglewood, CA 90304
MAILORDER:
P.O. BOX 1936
Hawthorne, CA 90250
PRINTER ACCESSORIES
Orange Micro
Grappler + $ 119
Grappler + w/16Kexp.to64K 179
Apple Par. Card
card&cable $ 49
Microtek
DumplingGX $ 99
Dumplingw/l6Kexp.to64K 149
Additional l6Kfor 15
wesper Micro
Full Graphics Interface Card $ 79
Cables
IBM to Printer $ 29
Kaypro to Printer 29
Osborne to Printer 29
Okidata Options
Tractorfor82&92 $ 59
2K Serial Buffer 119
Star Options
Serial interface $ 60
Epson Options
Bufferw/Serial $ 119
VIDEO DISPLAY MONITORS
USI
PM (9"GreenHiRes) $ 119
Pi 2 d2"GreenHiRes) 139
PI 3 (l2"AmberHiRes) 149
PI 4 (9"AmberHiRes) 129
BMC
12AUW d2"Green) $ 79
9191 ColorComposite 229
12EUN(20MHZHiRes) 129
Zenith
ZVM122 (Green) $ 99
ZVM123 (Amber) 129
Gorilla
HiResGreen $ 89
HiResAmber 99
Amdek
Color I Composite Color $ 329
ColorllRGB 419
300A 159
310A ..... 179
300G 149
Princton Graphics
pgshxi2 $ 479
This Ad Supersedes All Others
(213)643-5188
All merchandise new. We accept MC, Visa. Wire
Transfer. COD Call. Certified Check. P.O. s from
qualified firms. APO accepted. Shipping
Minimum S4 50 first 5 pounds. Tax. Calif orma Res
Oniv add 6' >"» sales idx.
Mon.— Fri. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sat. & Sun. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
COMPUTER SUPPLIES
DISKETTES
5%
S/S S/D
MIN. ORDER 50
RIBBONS
OKIDATA
MICROLINE 84
EPSON
MX100
MIN. ORDER 6
$ 3 77
$y84
LABELS • CONTINUOUS FORMS
PeachText 5000 reg395°° 275 00
complete line of
EDUWARE SOFTWARE
•Terms: Visa, M.C. or C.O.D.
•Dealer Inquiries Invited
COMPU-MEDIA
SOFTWARE, INC.
159 Main St. S.I.N.Y. 10307
\X1
AUTHORIZED
DISTRIBUTOR
CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-248-2418
™ in N.Y. State 212-967-1700
FREE SOFTWARE
RENT THE PUBLIC DOMAINI
User Group Software isn't copyrighted, so no fees
to pay! 1000's of CP/M software programs in
.COM and source code to copy yourself! Games,
business, utilitiesl All FREEI
CP/M USERS GROUP LIBRARY
Volumes 1-91, 46 disks rental- $45
SIG/M USERS GROUP LIBRARY
Volumes 1-90, 46 disks rental- $40
Volumes 91-154, 30 disks rental -$40
SPECIAL/ Rent all SIG/M volumes for $75
IBM PC-SIG (PC-DOS) LIBRARY
Volumes 1-75, 5%" disks $99.50
SPECIAL "Flippy" Floppies
copy both sides-8" $3.00
5%" $2.00
Disk— Public Domain User Group Catalogs $5
(check in advance, please)
Rental is for 7 days after receipt, 3 days grace to
return. Use credit card, no deposit.
ALL FORMATS AVAILABLE! SPECIFY.
Shipping, handling & insurance— $7.50 per library.
(619) 941-0925 information,
(619) 727-1015 anytime order machine
Have credit card ready!
P.J.S. Co. AMEX
993 S. Sante Fe "C" ^gF
Vista, CA 92083
C LANGUAGE
PROGRAMMERS
c -systems
C COMPILER
c- window™
The complete c language source level
program testing and debugging tool.
• Single step by c source line.
• Set breakpoints at line numbers.
• Display and alter variables by symbol
name, using c expression syntax.
• No more printf or assembler level
debugging!
c-Mfindow™ is a support package for
the c-ftyBtams C COMPILER for
8O86/8O88 based systems.
Contact:
c-systems
P.O. Box 3253
TM c-systems
Fullerton, CA 92634
714-637-5362
Circle 381 on inquiry card.
Circle 288 on inquiry card.
I SEE OUR CATALOG FOR 8 DISKETTES
SAVE UP TO 50%
5'A DISKETTES
SPECIFY SOFT. 10 or 16 SECTORS
wabash
S/10
S/50
S/100
SSDD(M13A411X)
OSDD (M14A411X)
DSOD-96TPI (M 16A41 1X)
control data
21.00
2900
4300
10250
142.50
209,00
199.00
279.00
410.00
SSDDICDC1 242-00)
DSDD (CDC 1244-00)
3M scotch
22.00
30.50
106.00
147.00
210.00
290.00
SSDDOM 744O0)
DSDD (3M 7450)
DSDD-96TPI (3M-747-0)
verbatim
22.00
31 00
45.00
109.00
15000
21200
213.00
295.00
399.00
SSDDIMD5250D
DSDDIMDS5O01)
DSDD-96TPUMDS57 01I
e maxell
SSDD(MAX-MD-IM)
DSDD(MAX-flD2-DM)
DSDD-96TPI (M02-DDM)
• dysan
SSDDIDYS 104-10)
DSDD (DVS 104-2D)
DSDD-96TPI (DYS 204-2D)
25 20
3650
4580
124 00 245.00
180 00 355.00
226 00 448.00
2650
38 00
43.00
13000 25500
185 00 360 00
21000 41000
35.00
41 00
48 50
17200 34000
20000 395.00
240.00 475.00
CALL TOLL FREE 800824-7888
(VISA. M.C, C.O.D. ORDERS ONLY OPERATOR 906
7 DAYS A WEEK
fteattvi ty Unlimited
• CHECKS. MO. VISA. M C.
- ADD S200 SHIP/ORDER
• CA RESIDENTS ADD
6=0 SALES TAX
• SURCHARGE ON ORDERS
SHIPPED OUTSIDE USA
1741 SARATOGA AVE..
SAN JOSE. CA 95129
(408) 252-4210
201
M-F. B:0O AM TO 5:00 PM \^r y
FOR NEXT DAY RESPONSE f ^>VkX
DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED
Circle 118 on inquiry card.
CP/M CROSS
SOFTWARE
for the NS16000
INCLUDES:
* Cross Assembler *
* Cross Linker *
* Debugger *
* Librarian *
* Pascal Cross Compiler *
Prices start at
$500 for Assembler only.
SOLUTIONWAKE
CORPORATION
1283 Mt. View-Alviso Rd.
Suite B
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
408/745-7818
f
of looking for reliable
Source of Supply?
WMMWW
from Looking???
about
QUALITY??
DISKETTES +
RIBBONS +
ACCESSORIES
Call Bob Kelly Now. . .
Kelly Computer Supplies
1811 Carl St. • St. Paul, MN 551 1 3
Toll Free ... 800 - 447 - 2929
MN Res. Call Collect. . .612/644-9030
3M SCOTCH DISKETTES
Circle 209 on inquiry card.
Scotch Diskettes
Rely on Scotch* diskettes to keep your valu-
able data safe. Dependable Scotch diskettes
are tested and guaranteed error-free. The low
abrasivity saves your read/write heads.
They're compatible with most diskette drives.
(800)235-4137
Dealer Inquiries
invited
San Luti Obispo i.'fi
1340I InCal call
iWK 1IVJ2-V* IS..,
(WiSiS-h-iim:
FOR YOUR APPLE,
RADIO SHACK
IBM PC,
OSBORNE ETC.
D1SKETTES-5V4 IN.
3M MEMOREX
SSDD $2.10Ea./50 $2.10 Ea./100
DSDD $2.85Ea./50 $2.85 Ea./ 100
HARD DISC SUBSYSTEMS
5MB 10MB 15MB
APPLE $1,250. $1,500. $1,700.
IBM $1,300. $1,550. $1,750.
PRINTERS
FACIT 4510 P AND S $450. Ea.
PROWRITER 8510 P $395. Ea.
PROWRITER 1550 P $695. Ea.
TRANSTAR 315 $515. Ea.
We carry Daisy Wheel Printers, Floppy Disc Drives.
Monitors, Terminals, Expansion Boards, Software,
Ribbons, Printwheels, Etc.
i\lct-Cliciii i
Met-Chem International Corpora^..
291 1 Dixwell Avenue. Hamden. Conn. 06518
Phone: (203) 248-3212 or 1 -800-638-2436
Circle 240 on inquiry card.
DISK DRIVES
(For PC, Mod I, III & IV)
Tandon TM55-2 $229
Tandon TM100-1 $1 75
Tandon TM100-2 $229
Tandon TM1 1 -4 $31 5
CDC 9409 $239
Case and PS $ 45
PC EXPANSIONS
MAYNARD
Disk Controller $162
Sandstar Series call
QUADRAM
Quad board (64K) $269
AST
Six Pak Plus: 64K SPC $269
Mega Plus: 64K & SC $269
I/O Plus (SC) $114
2nd S or P or Game $ 35
64K CHIPS
Set of nine $ 55
EPSON
RX80. FX80, FX1 00 call
VLM Computer Electronics
10 Park Place • Morristown, NJ 07960
(201) 267-3268 Visa, MC, Check or COD.
Circle 334 on inquiry card.
Circle 278 on inquiry card.
MORE THAN 7 REASONS
MINIMUM SHIPPING $3.00 • NO SURCHARGE ON VISA/MASTERCARD
TOLL FREE 1-800-545-2633 -Continental U.S.
DISK DRIVES
DISK DRIVE CABINETS DISK SUB ASSEMBLY
SHUGART
5V4" SA400(35 TR) 160K 150.00
5V«" SA400L(40TR) 190 K 189.00
5V* " SA455L (40 TR) 320 K V* HGT . . 235.00
8" SA601 R(SS/DD) 600 K 355.00
8" SA851R(DS/DD) 1.2 MG 479.00
QUME
5V." 142(40TR) 320 K Vi HGT 239.00
8"DT8(842) 490.00
MITSUBISHI
5 1 /." M-4853 V 2 size 410.00
96 TPI same as TM KXM
M-289-63(DS/DD)220V 449.00
8" M-289&63 399.00
Thinline 8" DS/DD 7.2 MG
8" M-2894-63(110V) 389.00
STD 8" DS/DD 1.2 MG
AC SURGE ELIMINATORS
Grizzly (200W) uninterruptible power
system + surge protection . . 750.00
Grizzly (500W) uninterruptible power
system + surge protection . 1,802.00
Hawk AC power monitor w/surge
protection 160.41
Lemon (6AC outlets-3 prong) 44.00
Lime (5'-3 prong pwr cord w/on-off
switch 69.00
Orange-AC surge + EMI filter (6
outlets) 95.00
Peach (3 outlets) AC surge/
EMI filter 69.00
8"DSC 88-2SKT-for 2-8" drvs
w/skt. conn 20.00
5y« r, DSC55-2SKT-for 1-5%"
dvs w/skt. conn 20.00
RS232MM-5" (male to male) 19.00
IBM to PAR 32.00
Osborne to PAR 32.00
Kaypro to PAR 32.00
OKI-Data Serial 24.00
QUV-TB/1 H (hobby) 49.95
QUV-T8/2I (Industrial version) 68.95
QUV-T8/2P (w/timer & safety switch) 97.50
CDC
5V«" 9409-DS/DD 225.00
TANDON
5V4 M TM100-1 SS/DD 160K 150.00
5V«" TM10O2A FOR IBM-PC . . . 225.00
DS/DD (320 K)
TM101-4 (96 TPI Quad Den) 339.00
8"' TM848 2 (DS/DD) 1.2 MG 400.00
SIEMAN'S
8" FD10O€ (SS/DD) 110V^301 R). . . . \169.00
8" FD10O8 (SS/DD) 220V\Compatible/l99.00
MPI
5V«" B-51 40TR SS/DD 180 K 145.00
CONNECTORS
RS232 Connectors
SOLDER TYPE
DB25P 2.50
DB25S 3.00
DB25Hood 1.00
S-100 Connectors 10 for 25.00
DE9P 2.00
8" CABINETS
8" DDC88V28 w/PS vertical
for2-8" drives 269.00
8" DDC88T-1 w/PS vertical-for 2
or 4-8" thinline drives 269.00
8" DDC88T-2 w/PS vertical for 2
8" thinline drives 200.00
8" DDC8H w/PS horizontal for
1 ea. 8" drive 249.00
8" DDC8V w/PS vertical for 1
8" drive 249.00
8" DDC88H w/PS horizontal
for 2-8" drives 289.00
5 %" CABINETS
5V«" DDC5H w/PS horizontal-for
1-5 %" drive 55.00
5V«" DDC5V w/PS vertical-for
1 ea.5V*" drive 65.00
5V«" DDC55V w/PS vertical-for
2-5V4 drives 65.00
MODEMS
DISKETTES
5%
Soft Sector SS/DD 18.00/10
FOR APPLE, ETC.
5 V* " Soft Sector DS/DD 24.00/10
FOR IBM PC & PARTNERS
FOR QTY OF 100
(15% DISCOUNT)
Diskettes are 3m media/processed,
packaged and certified by CENTECH.
Lifetime
warranty— 5 colors In each pkg. (Red,
Yellow, Blue, Green, Brown)
5V4" Sgl side/dbl den 22.00V10
5V« " Dbl side/dbl den 29.00/10
5 V*" 10 sector 24.00V10
5V«" 16 sector 24.00V10
8" Sgl side/dbl den 30.00/10
8" Dbl side/dbl den 40.00/10
MAXELL
Sgl. side/dbl. den 24.00
Dbl. side/dbl. den 36.00
Dbl. side/quad den 45.00
MEMOREX CALL
TDK CALL
DISKETTE STORAGE
AA-5V4 (Holds 82 Disks) 17.00
AA3 (Holds 82 Disks) 26.00
Smoked Plexiglass Disk Tubs
LIBRARY CASES
CAS-5V*" Colors Available; color burst asst.. 2.50
CAS 8" . beige, black, blue. reo". gray 3.00
Color Burst (Pack of 5) 1ZO0
FLIP "N" FILE
Flip ,, N"File25-5y4"(holds25)w/lock .21.00
50-5% (holds 50) w/lock 27.95
Flip "N" File "Original-5" (holds 50) ... 21 .00
Flip "N" File "Original 8" (holds 50) . . . 29.95
OUR BEST BUY'S
6" SUB ASSEMBLY
DDS + O 2EA SS/DD Siemens FD100-8
Drives w/Cabinet 595.00
DDS +2 2EA DS/DD Mitsubishi
M2894-63 w/cabinet 1,075.00
DDS +4 2EA DS/DD 8" Thinline
Drives w/Cabinet 1,150.00
Specify— Vertical or Horizontal Cabinet
5%" SUB ASSEMBLY
DDS + 5 1 EA SS/DD Disk Drive 200.00
DDS + 6 2EA SS/DD Disk Drive 369.00
* Hayes Smart 300 199.00
* Hayes Smart 1200 425.00
Multi-Tech MT212 AD (1200/300) .... 475.00
Novation J-Cat 300 109j00
U.S. Robotics 21 2A Auto Dial 468.00
it U.S. Robotics (300/1 200) Password .. 375.00
VIDEO DISPLAY MONITORS
AMBER
Dynax AM121 (20 MHZ) Hi-Res/80 Col/12" 139.00
USI PI-4 (20 M HZ) Hi-Res/80 Col/9" 139.00
USI PI-3 (20 MHZ) Hi-Res/80 Col/12" 149.00
Zenith ZM122 (18 MHZ) HI-Res/80 Col/12" . 119.00
COLOR
Amdekl-12"Composite(ForApple) 259.00
Amdekll-12"-RGB (For IBM-PC) w/audio. . 429.00
Amdek I + Composite w/audlo 275.00
^Princeton HX-12-RGB (For IBM-PC) 469.00
Sakata SC-100-13" Composite (For All). . . 260.00
Sakata SC-?00 RGB (For All) 489.00
GREEN
BMC 12AU (15 MHZ) 80 Col/12" 80.00
Dynax GM 120 (20 MHZ) Hi-Res/80
Col/12" 129.00
Sanyo DM 2112(15 MHZ) 64 Col/12" 80.00
SakataSC-1000 (18 MHZ) 80 Col/12" 119.00
USI PI-1 (20 MHZ) Hi-Res/9" 129.00
USI PI-2(20 MHZ) Hi-Res/12" 139.00
S-100 PRODUCTS
CARD CAGES/MOTHER BOARDS
"/£££- 696- No termination required
w/card bare card
Slots Bare Bd
A + T cage cage
4 15.00
40.00 60.00 20.00
6 20.00
46.00 70.00 22.00
8 25.00
69.00 100.00 31.00
12 30.00
99.00 140.00 41.00
18 45.00
150.00 200.00 50.00
22 60.00
165.00 — 75.00
All card cages
will accommodate a 4" fan
Add $20.00 for 1 fan-Add $30.00 for 2 fans
CLOCK/CALENDAR
S-100*Time in hrs., min., sec.«AM/PM or
Military Format«Date in Mo.. Day. Yr.,
Day of Week & Leap Year recognition^
hard interrupts (1024 Hz. 1 Hz. 1 min. 1
hr)«On board battery (will last 14 mos.
w/no power on)
QTC-CCS-BB (S-100) 45.00
QTC-CCS-A (A + T) for S-100 95.00
MAINFRAMES
For 2 Standard 8" Drives
MF + DD6 (6 slot M/B) 575.00
MF + DD8 (8 slot M/B) 625.00
MF + DD12(12 slot M/B) 675.00
* li
For 2 Thinline 8" Drives fQh^
IMF + DD6F 300.00
For 2-5 V*" Disk Drives
MF + MD12 (12 slot M/B) 560.00
Standard Plain Front
MF + 12 (12 slot M/B) 499.00
MF + 22 (22 slot M/B) 550.00
All mainframes except IMF + DD6F have EMI filter, 2 AC outlets. 15
ea. DB25, 2 ea. 50 pin, 2 ea. 34 pin, 1 ea. Centronic cutouts, power
supply for 8" MF ( - 5V1A/ + 5V6A/ + 8V16A/ ± 16V3A/ + 24V6A)
SIERRA DATA
COMPUTIME/QT BARE BOARD SET
PN-2048 Best Bare Board Set Available
QTC-SBC 2/4 CPU (SBC 880)
QTC-EXP + III 256K (CT256) Memory bd./
Expandable to 1MG
QTC-FDC 5/8 Floppy disk controller
\ Circle 172 on inquiry card.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
CLAIRE
1-801-972-2739
Bare Board Set $150.00
1) Includes manuals & assembly instructions
2) Parts available
3) Monitor & B10S available. Add $30.00.
SDS-SBC-100-Z80 (4mhz) master 2
serial 2 par/floppy control ler/64k
ram $655.00
SDS-SBC-100S4mhs slave/2 serial 2
par/64k ram $565.00
SDSZSIO/4-4 serial port I/O
bd $250.00
SDS-MUX-RS232 multiplexer
bd $235.00
SDS-HDI-M-Hard disk bd for
micropolis $129.00
SDS-CPM/B105 cp/m for SBC100
w/BIOS $150.00
SDS-Turbodos-Multiuser for master &
slaves $645.00
20 Slot MB 225.00
CPU 8085/88 349.00
CPU 8086/8087 550.00
Disk I 399.00
CPM 2.2 for Disk I 150.00
Disk II 610.00
Ram16-64K 339.00
Ram17-64K 329.00
Ram21-128K 650.00
Interfacer 1 198.00
CPU/MEM/I/O
QTC-SBC 2/4 BB (SBC880) . . . $50.00
QTC-SBC 2/4 A A + T
(SBC880) $265.00
QTC-Z + 80 B9 (BIG Z) $28.00
DYNAMIC (64K/256K or 1 MEG)
QTC-EXP + III Bare Bd. (CT256) $75.00
QTC-EXP + III 64K A + T
(CT256) $375.00
QTC-I/O + BB 2 SER 2
PAR A + T $75.00
QTC-J/O +A + T $300.00
QTC-ADA ADA Converter
A+T $400.00
QTC-Dual GPIB-488 IEEE 488
Interface bd $795.00
Interfacer 2 249.00
Interfacer 3 515.00
Interfacer 4 329.00
System Support I 306.00
Active Terminator 65.00
Enclosure 2 (Desk) 725.00
Enclosure 2 (Rack MT) 775.00
CPU-Z 226.00
M-Drlve H 1,229.00
6 Slot MB 125.00
12 Slot MB 155.00
CPU 68K 510.
v**-
Computer Company,
1-801-972-2717
Retail Salefe
123 East 200 South
— Salt Lake City, Utah 841 1 1
Retail Hours
Monday-Friday 10 AM to 6 PM
Saturday 10 £m to 5 PM " .
Retail Phone — 364-0057
TO BUY FROM YOUR
CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS SAVE 6% SALES TAX
8 YEARS (1976) EXPERIENCE IN COMPUTER MAIL ORDER BUSINESS
PRINTERS
ALPHACOM
• FOR ATARI, COMMODORE
orTI.
• 40 or 80 COL
• 80CPS
• FULL CHARACTER SETS
• GRAPHICS
• LIGHT WT. 4 TO 6 LBS.
• FRICTION FEED
ALPHACOM 42(4OcoDw/lnt0rfac8 89.00
ALPHACOM 81 (80 cof) w/lntert see 148.00
40 COL PAPER (per roll) ZfiO
80 COL. PAPER (per roll) 4.50
BROTHER
HR-1A 17CPS Daisywheel 3K Buff 575.00
HR-1A 17 CPS Dalsywheei3K Buff 589.00
HR-25
CENTRONICS
351P-200CPS,Par100CPSCORR 1,795.00
6085P-600CPS, Parw/cabinet 8,500.00
6085S— 600CPS, Serial w/cabinet 7,000.00
6085IBM-600CPS w/cablnet 7,500.00
3583 or 4 Automatic cut sheet feeder 695.00
DATA-SOUTH
OS 180 160CPS/Serlal or Par/Tractor 1,400.00
DAISYWRITER
Daisywriter200CM8K Buffer/20T040CPS LTR/Par . . 1,095.00
Daisywriter Cable 40.00
DalsywriterTractor 140.00
DIABLO
620(25CPS/Serial) 920.00
630(40CPS/Multi-IF) 1,790.00
630 ECS/IBM 2,100.00
DYNAX
Dynax-15 Par-13CPS Daisywheel
2 color PTG-3K buff 475.00
Dyanx 15 Seriai-13CPS Daisywheel 525.00
EPSON
FX80 (160 CPS-Par 10") CALL
FX100 (160 CPS-Par 15") CALL
C, ITOH
Pro-writer I (8510A) Par 120 CPS 350.00
Pro writer I (8510A) Serial 120 CPS 529.00
APPLE/FRANKLIN
APPLE II E Starter— Includes CPU 1 F.D. Monitor and
Stand 1,475.00
FRANKLIN 1000w/color 799.00
FRANKLIN 1200 Starter includes CPU 2 F.D. 80 col 1,825.00
FRANKLIN 1200 OMS includes CPU-2 F.D. and bundled
software 1,825.00
IBM* PC TYPES
COLUMBIA (1600-1) 16 bit 128K Ram 2 ea.
320K Disk Drive-2 SER, 1 PAR, Key Bd. 8 slots,
Display Cd., bundled software 2,775.00
IBM P.C. 16 bit 64K Ram 2 ea. 320 K Disk Drive,
Princeton HG12X-ColorCard 3,395.00
EAGLE PC-2 16 bit 126K Ram 2 ea. 320K Disk
Drive 12" Green (HH-Res) bundled software 2,650.00
EAGLE PORTABLE 16 bit 128K Ram 1 F.D./10 MG HD/Green
Screen MS-DOS 210 bundled software 4,000.00
KAYPRO
KAYPRO II w/bundled software 1,475.00
KAYPRO 4 w/bundled software 1,875.00
KAYPRO 10 w/bundled software 2,695.00
(Trade-In Allowance S75 for SS/OO Drive)
MOLECULAR SYSTEMS
MICRO 1&8 16 bit (6086) CPU 1 ea. 8" F.D.-1 ea.
10 MB HD— 64K Ram expands to 256K up to 8
users w/addltlonal application processors—
CP/M and CP/M 86 5,200.00
Pro-writer II Parallel-15" 660.00
8600 (180CPS) Paror Serial 18 PIN 90 CPS LTR . . . . 1,099.00
F-1040CPS/Diablo/Par or Serial 1,125.00
F-10 55CPS/Diablo/Par or Serial 1,425.00
GENERAL ELECTRIC
Demand Document Printers
3400-400CPS Serlai/Tractor to 60 100 CPS CORR. 2,175.00
3404-400CPS Serial/Tractor 100CPSCORR 2,459.00
JUKI
6100-18 CPS/Diablo Compatible Par/Daisywheel 569.00
MANNESMAN-TALLY
Spirit 80CPS Par 10" 330.00
160L(160CPO40CPS LTR 10") 589.00
180L(160CPS-40CPSLTR15") 829.00
MPI
MPI-Portable Sprlnter/160CPS/IBM PortMK Buff, up to
64K 100 CPS CORR. Keyed avlb 795.00
MPI-99G (9") Par 499.00
MP1 150 Bl (15") Par2K Buff w/Graphics 875.00
MP1 150 Al (15") Par4K Buff w/Graphlcs 799.00
MP1 150 Al (15") Par 16K Buff w/Graphics 899.00
NEC
NEC201020CPS Serial Daisywheel 950.00
NEC2015 20CPS Diablo Comp Daisywheel 950.00
NEC2030 20CPS Par Daisywheel 950.00
NEC2050 20CPS for IBM Daisywheel 1,050.00
NEC351035CPS Par Daisywheel 1,595.00
NEC3550 35CPS IBM 1,850.00
NEC7710 55CPS Serial Daisywheel 1,995.00
NEC7715 55CPS Diablo Comp Daisywheel 1,995.00
NEC8023A 100CPS-Par-Graphlcs-10" 389.00
NEC8025A 100CPS Par Graphics 15" 699.00
Serial Card 139.00
OLYMPIA
Typewriter/Printer Daisywheel 14 CPS 649.00
OKI-DATA
2350— 350CPS 2 color tractor 2,195.00
2410P 350CPS 2 color tractor 2,495.00
Mlcrollne82A (SER & PAR-120CPS 10") 379.00
Mlcrollne63A(SER & PAR-120CPS 15") 825.00
Microline92(PAR-160CPS-LTR-10") 459.00
Microline93(PAR-160CPS-LTR-15") 769.00
Microline64P(PAR-200CPS-LTR-15") 969.00
Mlcrollne 84S (SER-200CPS-LTR-15") 1,059.00
SYSTEMS
MICRO 15-8 16 bit (6086) CPU 1 ea. 8" F.D.-1 ea. 15
MB HD— 64K Ram expands to 256K up to 8 users
w/addltional application processors—
CP/M and CPM 86 6,600.00
AP8001-ASYNC/9600 BPS Application Processor . 589.00
AP8003-ASYNC/19,200BPS Application Processor. 839.00
AP8011-SYNC/50K BPS 1,079.00
NEC
PC8201A-Portable 2.4 MHZ CPU 16K Ram/Expands to
64K-32K RAM LCD Display- Keybd (67 key-5 function)
Modem, Serial and Par Port-FD and Cassette
Interface— Uses 4 AA Batt— bundled software 660.00
PC8201A-90-N1 Cad Pak 18.00
PC6221A— Portable Printer 149.00
PC6271A-02— AC Adapter 15.00
S-100
COMPUPRO 818A 4,125.00
COMPUPR0818B 5,495.00
COMPUPRO 818C 8,995.00
TELEVIDEO
TS-803 4 MHZ CPU-64K 2 ea. 360K F.D.-
Graphics 12" green 1,900.00
TS-1603 5 MHZ CPU-128K 2 ea. 360K F.D.-
Graphics 12" Green CP/M 2,400.00
TELETOTE 1 4 MHZ CPU 64K 1 ea. F.D. 9" Amber
detach KYBD Par/Ser mouse port CP/M 1,350.00
TOLL FREE
1-800-545-2633
CONTINENTAL U.S.
Circle 173 on inquiry card.
7AV
Computer Company,
1-801-972-2717
PRINTER ACCESSORIES
STAR MICRONICS
Gemini 10X NEW VERSION (PAR-120CPS-10") CALL
Gemini 15X (PAR-120CPS-15") CALL
Gemini Delta 10 (Par-160CPS-10" 8K buffer serial) CALL
SILVER REED
EXP550P-17CPS Daisywheel-PAR 669.00
EXP550S-17CPS Dalsywheel-Serial 680.00
TOSHIBA
P-1350(192CPS-120CPSLTR PAR or Serial) 1,499.00
TRANSTAR
120 P 14CPS ParDiabloComp 479.00
315 Color Printer500CPS Par 489.00
DIABLO
Diablo 620-Uni-Direct Tractor 110.00
Diablo 620-Sheet Feeder 720.00
Diablo 630-BI-Direct Tractor 275.00
Dlable 630-Tractor Sound Cover 29.00
Diablo 630-SGL Sheet Feeder 775.00
JUKI-6100
Serial Interface 55.00
Bi-DirTractor 120.00
Uni-Dir Tractor 90.00
MANNESMAN-TALLY
Factory Quick Tear 230.00
Auto Front Feed 1,150.00
NEC
Thimbles 20.00
Vertical Tractor 219.00
Horizontal 152.00
Bl-Dir. Tractor 330.00
Cut Sheet Feeder 1,100.00
OKI-DATA
84 Cut Sheet Feeder 515.00
82/92 Tractor 55.00
Serial Intf. w/2K Buff er(For 82A) 125.00
Serial Intf. w/2K Buffer (For 92 & 93) 110.00
Oklgraph I 82A or 83A Graphics ROM 40.00
Oklgraph II 82A or 83A Disk for Apple 55.00
STAR-MICRONICS
Serial Intf. Bd 70.00
Serial Intf. Bd w/2K Buffer 120.00
Commodore 64 Intf. Bd 72.00
TOSHIBA
P-1350 Cut Sheet Feeder 800.00
P-1350 Bl-Dir. Tractor 210.00
TERMINALS
ADDS
Vlewpolnt-A1 (White) 509.00
Vlewpoint-A2 (Green) 539.00
Vlewpoint-3A + (Green) 509.00
Viewpoint 60-Same as Televideo 925 715.00
QUME
QVT-10280Col. Green (910comp) 549.00
QVT-102 80 Col. Amber 560.00
QVT-103 80/132 Col. Green 885.00
QVT-103 80/132 Col. Amber 895.00
QVT-108 80/132 Col. Amber (925 Corp.) 715.00
TELEVIDEO
TV910 529.00
TV910 + . 585.00
TV925 w/2nd page memory 715.00
TV950 w/2nd, 3rd, 4th page memory 925.00
TV970 • 1,019.00
RG1000/TV60 Graphics Upgrade for 925/950 ... 1,100.00
WYSE
WYSE-100 725.00
WYSE-300 (Color) 1,125.00
Mail Orders
P.O. Box 3150
Salt Lake City. Utah 84110
Mail Orders
Monday-Friday 8 AM to 6 PM
(sometimes much fat
Saturday 10 AM to 5 i
COMPUTER SUPERMARKET
OUR SALTIEST DEAL
TRADE YOUR 5 1 / 4 " DRIVE
SGL SIDE/DBL DEN FOR DBL SIDE/
DBL DEN DRIVE $75.00 ALLOWANCE
DBL SIDE/DBL DEN FOR 2 EA
(TM100-2) FOR 1/2 DBL SIDE/DBL
DRIVES $175.00 ALLOWANCE
IBM ACCESSORIES
AST
Six Pak Plus(Serial/Par/CLK 64K Expands to 384K) . . 289.00
Meg-A-Plus(Serial/CLK/64K Expands to256K) 269.00
Meg-A-Pak (Expands Meg-A-Plus to 512K) . 269.00
I/O Plus(SP) 129.00
PC-Net (with Shared User Software) 556.00
PC-Net Starter Kit 1,192.00
AST-5251 (Allows connection of IBM PC to System
340036) 826.50
MANY OTHER OPTIONS AVAILABLE.
ASHTONTATE
D-Base II 400.00
Bottom Line Strategist 279.00
Financial Planner 499.00
Friday 189.00
DOW JONES
Dow Jones Invest/Evaluator 125.00
D.C. HAYES
Smartmodem 1200B-Smartcom 2 software included . 429.00
Smartcom 2Telecomputive for 300/1200 on disk 89.00
LOTUS DEVELOPMENT
Lotus 1-2-3(on disk) 369.00
KRAFT
Joy Stick 47.50
Paddle(pair) 37.00
KEYTRONICS
Enhance your PC-with a superior keyboard 210.00
MAYNARD
Floppy Controller 155.00
Floppy Controller (Serial) 225.00
Floppy Controller (PAR) 205.00
Sandstar MOD FDC
MODULAR (for 5 V*" or 8" drives) . . . 200.00
ADD-ONS FOR Pararrel MOD 60.00
SANDSTAR Serial-MOD 79.00
MODFDC Clock Calendar MOD 89.00
Game Adapter MOD 49.00
Sandstar Multi-Function Bd (Holds up to
6 modular add-ons 82.00
PLANTRONICS COLOR PLUS
Color + Color Display Card (16 colors) 395.00
PRINCETON GRAPHICS
PGSHX12-Hi-Res Color. The Best 469.00
QUADRAM
Quadlink— Allows Apple Software to be used in IBM
PC HAS64K Ram-Game Port Display Gen-Disk
Intf. w/software 520.00
Quadboard 2— 64K Ram (expands to 256K) 2 Ser Port
CLK and software 289.00
Quadboard — 64K (expands to 256K) Par and Serial Por1
CLK and software 289.00
Quad 512 — 64 Ram (expands to 512K) Serial Port and
software 259.00
Quadchrome — Color Monitor 489.00
Tilt Table 40.00
Chronograph Clk/Calendar BD 79.00
SHUGART DISK DRIVES
SA455L-1/2 HGT320 KDS/DDw/BRACKETS 239.00 ea.
440.00 for 2 ea.
TANDON DISK DRIVES
TM1002A320K DS/DD 225.00
TM55 2 1/2 HGT 320 K DS/DD w/BRACKETS 249.00 ea.
440.00 for 2
APPLE/FRANKLIN ACCESSORIES
ALS
CPM 3.0 Card 289.00
Z-Card II 139.00
ASHTONTATE
D-Base II 400.00
ASTAR
RF Modulator 19.00
Fan, Clock, Cool Time. Surge Protector 60.00
DOW JONES
Dow Jones Invest/Evaluator 125.00
GENERIC
Z-80 Card (Emulates Micro-Soft) 99.00
60 Col. Video (Videx Compatible) 99.00
80 Col. Video w/Soft Switch 125.00
Joy Stick 20.00
E-Prom Writer 79.00
Pararell Interface 49.00
Pararell Interface w/Graphics 65.00
16K Ram Card 40.00
RF Modulator 13.00
HAYES
Joy Sticks 29.00
Micro-Modem II 259.00
Micro-Model II w/terminal package 279.00
KENSINGTON
System Saver/Fan & Surge Pro 75.00
KOALA TECH
Koala Gr/Tablet w/Software 99.00
KRAFT
Joystick for II E . 44.00
LOTUS DEVELOPMENT
Executive Briefing System 139.00
MICRO-MAX
View Max 60 (60 Col for II +) 139.00
View Max 80E (80 Col W/64K Memory Exp to 128K) . . . 129.00
MICROTEK
Dumpling 64K/lnterface and Graphics 64K Buffer . . . 235.00
Dumpling GX-P/Par Interface Card and Cable 99.00
Parallel Interface Board (RV611C) 81.00
BAM 16 (16K Add-on Memory) 45.00
NOVATION
Apple Cat II w/software 269.00
212 Apple Cat 625.00
Handset 29.00
ORANGE MICRO
Grappler + (Graphics Interface) 119.00
Grappler + 16K (Buffer and 5 to 64K) 1 75.00
Buffer Board 135.00
PRINCETON GRAPHICS
Interface Card allows use of HX12 Color Monitor 156.00
QUADRAM
RAM 80-80 Col64K card 119.00
APIC— Par Intf. card 60.00
APIC/G— Par Intf. w/Graphics 85.00
CPI— 8" Cable (APIC to Cen. Printer) 34.00
APIC III— Par Printer Intf. for Apple w/8' Cable 95.00
TG PRODUCTS
Joy Stick— For Apple II + 38.00
Paddles 29.00
Selecta Poi1 38.00
VIDEX
Ultraterm 279.00
Videterm 199.00
VISTA
A800 Floppy Controller for 8" Drives 300.00
A-800-1 Cable 27.00
APPLE DISK DRIVES
Vista Solo(35TR) 189.00
Micro-Sci A-2(35TR) 225.00
Micro-Sci A-40 (40TR) 269.00
Micro-Sci A-70 (Quad) 329.00
Micro Sci Controller 70.00
Rana Elite I 249.00
Rana Elite II 399.00
Rana Elite III 509.00
Rana Controller 85.00
Super 5 "THINUNE" / size 163K 40TR 189.00
Super 5 "THINLINE" Vi size 163K 40TR
(TEAC DIRECT DRIVE) 225.00
KRAFT Joy Stick 15.00
PERCOM AT 88 SS/DD Disk Drive w/Printer Port .... 499.00
RANA Rana 1000— SS/DD Disk Drive 379.00
TRAK AT-D2 SS/DD Disk Drive 379.00
COMMODORE
STAR Star Gemini Interface to VIC 20 + CMD 64 ... . 85.00
DOW JONES Dow Jones Invest/Evaluator 125.00
KRAFT Joy Stick 15.00
KOALA Koala GR/Tablet w/software
(specify VIC20 or CMD64) 99.00
Sprinter K (5MHZ Speed-up) 99.00
K-Clock (Batt Backup Clk/Cal) 99.50
Video Output BD-{allows use of video monitor) 125.00
Kaypro II Upgrade Disk Drives (DS/DD) 239.00
(Trade In Allowance $75 for SS/DD Drive)
LOTUS 1-2-3 369.00
QUADRAM TI64 64K Ram Card 206.00
QUADRAM TI-92 192K Ram Card 319.00
WESPER
WIZARD BPO (Same as Grappler + 16K
Specify Printer) 149.00
WIZARD IPI (Same as Grappler + Specify Printer) 89.00
WIZARD EBO (Internal Buffer for Epson) 109.00
WIZARD 80 Col/64K For II E 139.00
WIZARD 80 Col/ For II + 139.00
ImmmcmU
« TOLL FREE
^yvAH-^
1-800-545-2633 ^
CONTINENTAL U.S.
The Great Salt Lake ^
m Computer Company, lng;_^j
Circle 173 on inquiry card.
1-801-972-2717
IBM UPGRADE
KIT
Includes 9 Ea. 4164-200NS
For Expansion on all IBM
Products with Parity
$55.00/per set
Retail Sales
123 East 200 South
— Salt Lake City, Utah 841 1 1
Retail Hours
Monday-Friday 10 AM to 6 PM
Saturday 10 Am to 5 PM
Retail Phone — 364-0057
MICROPROCESSOR COMPONENTS W\
Digitalker
CA3010H
CA3039H
CA3046f; 14
CA3059N 14
CA3060N 16
CA3065E 14
CA3080E 8
CD40
CD400T
CD4002
CD4006
C04007
CD40O9
CD4010
C04011
CD4012
CD4013
CD4014
CD4015
CD4016
C04017
CD4018
C040I9
C04020
CD4021
CD4022
C04023
C04D24
CD4025
C04026
CD4027
CD4028
CD4029
CD403D
C04034
C04035
^ (Mm In
CA3081N
CA30B2N IB 1.1
CA3083N IB 1.4
CA3086N 14 .6
CA3089N IS 16
CA3096N 16 _ 1.4
I
CD4040 16
C04041 14
C04042 16
C04043 16
CD4044 16
CD4046 16
C04047 14
CD4048 16
CD4049 16
C04050 16
CO4051 16
C04052 16
CD4053 16
CD4056 16
C04059 24
C04060 16
CD4066 14
CD4068 14
C04069 14
CD4070 14
CD4071 14
CD4072 14
C04073 14
CD4075 14
C04076 16
CD4078 14
CD4081 14
C04082 14
CD4093 14
CA3130E
CA3140E
CA316QH
CA3161E
CA3I62E
CA3189E
CA3401N
C04098 16
C04S06 16
CD4507 14
CD4508 24
C04510 16
CD4511 16
CD4512 16
C04514 24
C04515 24
C04516 16
C04518 16
C04S19 16
CD4520 16
C04S26 16
C04S28 16
CD4529 16
CD4543 16
CD4562 14
CD4566 16
CD4S83 16
CD4584 14
CD4723 16
C04724 16
MC14409 16
MC14410 16
MC14411 24
MC14412 16
MC14419 16
MC14433 24
MC14S38 16
MC14541 14
MICROPROCESSOR CHIPS
PiU No. "Pirn Function Mca
COP1802 40 CPU S2.95
MCS6502 40 MPU w/Clock 5.95
MCS6502B 40 MPUw/Cicckat3MHz 9.95
MCe«02CP 40 MPUw/CtockandRAM 7.95
6809 40 CPU-8-bil(lntemal Clock) 1MH*.. .14.95
IHS803SN-6 40 MPU-8-bit(6MHz) 5.95
INS8039N 40 CPU-St;i . . .. Ram). 5,95
1NS8040N-6 40 CPU (256 bytes RAM) 9.95
INS8070N 40 CPJ (64 bytes RAM) 29.95
INS8073N 40 CPU w/ Basic Micro Interpreter .29 95
P8085A 40 CPU 4.95
8066 40 CPU 16bi15MHz, 24.95
6088 40 CPU8/16-bit 29 95
8155 40 HMOS RAM I/O Port-Timer. 6 95
8748 40 HMOSEPROMMPU 24.95
Z80, Z80A, ZBOB, ZB000 SERIES
Z80 40 CPU(MK3880N)(780C)2MH* . $3.95
Z80-CTC 28 Counter Timer Cixuil 3.95
280-OART 40 Dual Asynchronous Rec./ Trans . 10 95
Z60DMA 40 Direct Memory Access Cir cud . 995
280P10 40 Parallel I/O InterlaceConlroller 3.95
Z8O-S10/D 40 Serial I/O (TxCB andRxCB Bonded) 12.95
Z80S10/1 40 Seriall/0(lacksDTRB) 12.95
Z8DS10/2 40 Seriall/OILacksSYNCB) 12 95
Z80-S10/9 40 Serial I/O 12.95
Z80A 40 CPu(MK3830N-4)(780Ct)4MHi 4.49
Z80A-CTC 2B Courier Timer Crrcuil .4.95
ZBOA-DART 40 Dual Asynchronous flee ./Trans 9.95
Z80A-DMA 40 Direct Memory Access Circuit 12 95
Z80A-P10 40 Parallell/O InterlaceConlroller 3.95
Z80A-S10/0 40 Serial l/0(TxCBandRxCBbonded) . 1295
Z80A-S10/1 40 Serial 1/0 (Lacks0TR8) 12.95
Z80A-S10/2 40 Serial I/O (LacksSVNCB) 12.95
Z80A-S10/9 40 Serial l/D 12.95
Z80B 40 CPU{MK3880N-6)6MHz 9.95
Z80B-CTC 28 Counter Timer Circuit 12.95
280B-DART 40 OualAsynch. Receiver /Transmitter . .19 95
Z80BP10 40 Parallel 1/OlnterlaceConlroJler 12 95
Z8001 48 CPUSegmented 44.95
Z8002 40 CPU Non-Segroenied .34.95
Z8030 40 Serial Comm. Controller 44.95
Z8036 40 Counter/Timer & Parallell/O Unit 29.95
6500/6B00/6B000 SERIES
MC6502A 40 MPU with clockand RAM (2MHz) 6.95
MC6520 40 Peripheral inler. Adapter 4.95
MC6800 40 MPU 2.95
MC6802CP 40 MPU withclockandRAM 7.95
MC6809E 40 CPU (1MHz) External (Locking) ..14.95
MC6821 40 Peripheral Inter Adapt (MC6820) .2.95
MC6B28 24 Priority Interrupt Controller .15.95
MC6830L8 24 1024x8-bi1R0M ( MC68A30-8) 9 95
MCS850 24 Asynchronous Comm Adapter 3.95
MC6B52 24 Synchronous Serial OalaAdapler .5.75
MC6860 24 0-GOObps Digital MOOEM . .7,95
MC68000L8 64 MPU 16-Bit (8M Hz) 49 95
MC68488P 40 General Purpose Int Adapter . .9.95
MC68652P2 40 Multi Protocol Comm Controller, .. .24.95
MC68661PH 28 Enhanced Pre gComm Inl g.95
MCM68764 24 64K EPRDM (SDns) 24.95
SY6522 40 Peripheral I nrir. Adapler . ...7.95
INS8080A
TMS5501
INS8154
8156
INS82C06
0P8212
0P8214
0P8216
DP8224
DP8226
0P8228
DP8238
INS8243
INS8245
INS8246
INS8247
INS8248
WS8250N
DPB251
0P8253
DP8255
DP8257
DP8259
DP8275
OP8279
DP8303
DP8304
DP8307
DP8308
DP8310
8741
8755
-8080A SERIES-
INS1771I
FD1791
FD1793
FD1795
FD1797
6843P
DS002SCN
DS0026CN
INS265I
MC3470P
MM58167AN
MM58174AN
C0P402N
C0P402MN
C0P470N
IDM2909AJC
MM5369EST
40 CPU
40 SynchronuisDatalnlertace<S)RC)
40 128 Byte RAM 16-Bil I/O
40 RAM with I/O Port and Timer
20 Octal Flip FlopTriSlale (74C374)
24 8-bit Input/Outpul (74S412)
24 Priority Interrupt Control
16 81-Oirecuonal Bus Driver
16 ClockGeneiaior/Driver
16 Bus Driver
28 SystemCon!/BusDriver(74S428)
28 SysleniController(74S438)
24 t/0Expander1or48 Series
18 16-Key Keytwar d E ncoder (74C922)
20 20-Key Keyboard Encoder (74C923J .
28 DisplayControiie/(74C911)
28 Display Controller (74C912)
40 Asyn. Comm. Element
28 Prog. Comm. I/O (USART)
24 Prog.lnlervalTimer .
4D Prog. Peripheral I/O (PPI)
40 Prog. OMAConlrol . .
28 Prog. InlerruplContirjl
40 Prog CRT Controller .
40 Prog. Keyboarrj/Dlsptay Interlace
20 8-Oit Tri- State Bi-Directional Trans
20 8-bit fit-Directkma! Receiver
20 8-btlBhO rectorial Recover
20 8-bit Bi-Directioral Receiver . .
20 Octal Latched Peripheral Orwer
40 8-bilUniv, Peripheral Interface
40 16KEPR0M with
— DISK CONTROLLERS
40 Single Density
40 Single/DualDensity(lnv.)
40 Single/Oou I e Density (True)
40 DualDensity/SideSclrxtflnv)
4D DualDensity/SideSdectTruc ...
4D Floppy Disk Co (toiler ( i M Hz)
— SPECIAL FUNCTION
8 DnalMOS ClockOnver(SMZ)
8 Dual MOS Clock 0rrw(5MZ) ..
28 Communication Chip
18 Floppy Disk Read Anip System
24 Microprocessor Real TimeClock
16 Micro. Compatible TimeClock
40 Microcontroller w/64-digitR AM
and Oirecl LED Orive
40 Microprocessorw/64-d igil RAM
& Direct LED Diivew/N Buss Inl
20 32-segVACFInor Divr (20-pinpkg )
28 Microprocessor Sequencer
8 Prog, Osdltaior/DrvHlerdOOlIz)
Part No. -Pins DYNAMIC RAMS
1103 18 1024x1 (300ns) 99
4027 16 4096x1 (250ns) 2,49
4116N-2 16 16,384x1 (150ns) 189-8/t4.95
4116N-3 16 16.384x1 (200ns) 1.69-8/12.95
4116N-4 16 16,384x1 (250ns) 149-8/10.95
4164N-150 16 65.536x1 (150ns) 6.95-8/49.95
4164M-200 16 65.536x1 (200ns) . 5.95-8/44 95
MM5261 18 1024x1 (300ns) 49-8/1.95
MM5262 22 2048x1 (365ns) 49 - 671 .95
MM5270 18 4096x1 (250ns) MK4096 4.95
MM5280 22 4096x1 (200ns)2107 3.95
MM5290-2 16 16,384x1 (150ns) ... 189-8/14.95
MM5290-3 16 16,384x1 (200ns) 1,69-8/12.95
MM5290-4 16 16.384x1 (250ns) ... 149-8/10.95
MM5298-3 16 8192x1 (200ns) 1.69
STATIC RAMS
1101 16 256x1 (650ns). t.49
2101 22 256x4 (450ns) 8101 2.49
2102 16 1024x1 (350ns) . 89
21L02 16 1024x1 (450ns) LP 1.49
21 11 18 256x4 (450ns) 8111 2 95
2112 16 256x4 (450ns) MOS 1.95
2114 1B 1024x4 (450ns] 1,49-8/9.95
2114L 18 1024x4 (450ns) L.P. ... 1.95- 8/13.95
2114? 13 1024x4 (200ns) . 1,75-8/11.95
2114L-2 IB 1024x4 (200ns) L P 225-8/14.95
2147 IB 4096x1 (70ns) . , .4.95
2148 IB 1024x4 (70ns) 4.95
TMS4045 IB 1024x4 (450ns) 3.95
TMS40L47-45 20 1024x4 (460ns) 2 95
5101 22 256x4 (450ns) CMOS . 2.95
MM5257 IB 4096x1 (450ns)4044 4.95
HM6116P-3 24 2048x8 ( 150ns) CMOS 5.95
KM6116-4 24 2048x8 (200ns) CMOS 4.95
HM6116LP-4 24 2048x8 (200ns) L.P CMOS 5.49
HM6264P-15 28 8192x8 (150ns) CMOS . .-39.95
27LS0O 16 256x1 (80ns) LP 9.95
7489 16 16x4 (50ns) 3101 2.25
74C920 22 256x4 (250ns) 3.95
74C921 18 256x4 (250ns)CMOS ...3.95
74C929
16
1024x1
(250ns) CMOS (650!)
3.95
74C930
ia
1024x1
(250ns) CMOS (6518)
. 3 95
74SI89
IB
16x4
(35ns) 93405 . .
.1.95
IVX'in
16
256x1
(80111)13410
3.95
74S206
16
:^6*i
(60ns) 93411
.3.95
74S289
lb
16x4
(35ns)3101
.2.25
82S10
lb
1024x1
(50ns) OC. (93415) ..
.3.95
82S25
lb
16x4
(50ns) C.(74S2B9) ..
.,2.25
1702A
u
256x8
(1us) .
.4.95
2708
?4
1024x8
(450ns)
3.95
2708-5
/4
1024x8
(550ns) SM00246
2.95
TMS2516
24
2048x8
|450ns)2716
5,95
r !,!:;;"..■(;•
74
4096x8
(450ns) HMC2532
6 95
n
8192x8
(450ns).
14 95
TMS2716
74
2043x8
(450ns)3vot1age
. .9.95
2716
74
2048x8
(450ns)
. 4.95
2716-1
74
2048x8
(350ns)
. 5,95
2716Q-D
74
2048x8
(550ns)
..4,49
2732
74
4096x8
(450ns) . .
695
2732A-3
74
4096x8
(300ns)
7.95
273M-1
74
4096x8
(450ns) 21V . .
.6.95
27320-1
74
4096x8
(550ns) ..
.5.95
275BQ-A
24
1024xB
(450ns)
.2.95
2764-4
?fl
8192x6
(450nsi
.9.95
2764-3
8192x8
(300ns)
14.95
MM52040
24
512x8(1usi
. 4 95
MCMG87G4
74
8192x6
(450ns)
24.95
27128
?n
16,384x8 (450ns) 128K EPROM
59 95
74 S IBS
16
32x8
PROMO C (6330-1) .
.1.49
74S287
IB
256x4
PROMTS (6301-1)
. 1 .95
74S288
lb
32x8
PROMT S. (6331-1) . .
.,1.95
■MSililr"
lb
l-'I.fx-'.
PROM OX. (0300-1)
..1,95
7454/1
711
256x8
PROM T.S (6309-1).
. .5 95
74S472
711
IjK'xB
PROMT S (6349-1)
4,95
74S473
zt
'ii;.s
PROM OX (6348)
495
74 S 4 74
74
512*8
PROMT S (DM87S296TJ
.4,95
74S4 75
74
512x8
PROM OX. (63401
. 4.95
74S4 7C
IB
1024x4
PROM T S
695
74S478
24
1024x8
PROM T S
895
74S570
16
512x4
PROM OC. (6305)
2 95
74S571
16
512x4
PROM T S (63061 .
2 95
74S572
11
1024x4
PROM OX (C352) .. .
.4.95
/•IS!,/.'!
18
1024x4
PROM 1 S (82S137)
.4.95
: : .
16
32x8
PIH1M0C (37S1B)
2.95
82S115
i:
512x8
PROMTS (27S15) ,
9 95
/•■;;
16
3^6
PROMT S.(27S19)
2 95
B2Sl?6
16
256x4
l'ROU ilC (27S20) .
2.95
t-rsi/'i
16
256x4
PI'OM I S (27S21)
295
82S130
16
512x4
PROM OX (27S12)
395
82S185
If)
2048x4
PROMT S (TBP24S81)
.9.95
82S190
24
;e; ;i .h
(80ns)
14.95
87S191
24
2048x8
(80ns)
14 95
OM87S180N
24
1024x8
PROM OX (82S1BO)
9 95
:
74
1024x8
PROMTS (82S181)
9.95
DM673184N
IB
2048x4
[428184]
. 9 95
\-,\Ml\\\<vS.
IB
2048x4
PROM T.S. (82S1B5) .
.9.95
; ' ; . <■■■
24
■■ I
PROM OC.(82S 190) .
.14.95
OM87SIU1N
24
2048x8
)ATAA
PR0MTS.(82S191) ..
.14.95
0C10
Mostek OC/DC Convert. + 5V to -9V .
295
MC3470P 18 Floppy Disk Read AMP System .
MC1408L7 16 7-bitD/A Convener (DAC0807LCN) ... 1.49
MC1408L8 IB 8-WTO/A Converter (DAC080BLCN) ...2 25
ADCO803LCN 20 8-t)ilA/D Converter (* 1/2LSB) 4 95
AOCOB04 20 8-bitA/D Convener (ILSB) ...3.49
DAC0806 16 8-bitO/A Convener (0 78% tin ) . . 195
ADC0809 28 8-bitA/D Convener (8-Ch.MulH ) . .4.49
ADC08I7 40 8-bltA/D Convener (1C-Cli Multi ) ...9 95
DAC10U11 24 !!iL-iil)/ACo'iv Micro Cornp (0 05%) 7.95
DAC1008 20 10-btt D/A Conv Micro Comp. (0 20%) 6 95
DAC10Z0 16 10-bd D/A Conv. (0.05% Lin.) 7.95
DAC1022 16 10-bil D/A Conv (0.20% Lin ) 5.95
DAC1222 18 12-bilD/ACoriv (0 20% Lin ) .6 95
LM334Z Constant Current Source . 119
LM335Z Temperature Transducer
LM399H Temp Comp. Piec Rel ( 5ppm/C)
AY-5.1013A 40 30K Baud Uarl --
LOW PROFILE
(TIN) SOCKETS
19 10-99 100-up
B pin L
14 pin L
16 pin L
IB pin U
20 pin LI
22 pin LI
24 pin Li
28 pin LI
36 pin LI
SOLDERTAIL (GOLD)
STANDARD
1-9 10-99 1
8 plnSG
14 pin SG
16 pin SG
18 pi
SG
24plnSG
28 pin SG
36plnSG
40pinSG
1 08
ST
WW
(Tfl1602|
SOLDERTAIL
STANDARD (TIN)
1-9 10-99 100-up
75
WIRE WRAP SOCKETS
(GOLD) LEVEL #3
16 pin WW
1B pin WW
20 pin WW
22 pin WW
24 pin WW
28 pin WW
36 pin WW
40 pin WW
1.B9
1 69
1-79
$10.00 Minimum Order — U.S. Funds Only
California Residents Add 6 Va % Sales Tax
Shipping — Add 5% plus $1.50 Insurance
Send S.A.S.E. for Monthly Sales Flyer!
Spec Sheets — 30c each
Send $1.00 Postage for your
FREE 1984 JAMECO CATALOG
Prices Subject to Change
ELECTRONICS
V/SA*
DT1050 — Applications: Teaching aids,
appliances, clocks, automotive, telecommunica-
tions, language translations, etc.
The DT1050 is a standard DIGITALKER kit encoded with 137 separate
and useful words, 2 tones, and 5 different silence durations. The
words and tones have bean assigned discrete addresses, making It
possible to output single words or words concatenated Into phrases
or even sentences. The "voice" output of the DT1050 Is a highly In-
telligible male voice. Female and children's voices can be synthesiz-
ed. The vocabulary Is chosen so that It is applicable to many pro-
ducts and markets.
The DT1G50 consists at a Speech Processor Chip, MM54104 (40-pin)
and two (2) Speech ROMs MM52164SSR1 and MM52164SSR2 (24-pin)
along with a Master Word list and a recommended schematic
diagram on the application sheet.
DT1050 Digitalker™ $34,95 ea.
MM54104 Processor Chip , $14.95 ea .
DT1 057 -Expands the DT1050 vocabulary from 137 to over 260
words, includes 2 ROMs and specs.
Part No. DT1057 $24.95 63.
Part No. "Pins Function PjIm
7045IPI 28 CMOS Precision Timer 14,95
7045EWKtf 28 Stopwatch Chip, XTL 19.95
7106CPL 40 3ViDigi!A/D(LCDDrivo) .....9.95
FE0203D 3fe Digit LCD Display lor 7106 & 7116 19.95
7106tV/Kif 40 IC. Circuit fioard. Display 34.95
7107CPL 40 Vh Digit A/D (LEO Orrve) 11,95
7107EV/Kif 40 IC. Circul Board, Display 29.95
7116CPL 40 Vk Digit A/D LCD Dis HLO 1695
7201IUS Low Battery Voll Indicator 2.25
72051PG 24 CMOS LEO Stopwatch /Timer , 1295
7205EV/Kif 24 Stopwatch Chip, XTL 14.95
7206CJPE 16 Tone Generator 4 95
7206CEV/Kif 16 Tone Generator Chip. XTL 7.95
7207AIP0 14 Oscillator Controller ...5.95
7207AEV/Kif 14 Freq. Counter Chip. XTL 7.95
7215IPG 24 4Func CMOSSlopwatch CKT 13.95
7215EV/KH" 24 4 Func. Stopwatch Chip. XTL 14.95
7216AIJI 28 SDigilUnrv. CounlerC.A 29 95
7216CIJI 28 8 Digit freq. Counter C. A 24.95
72I60IPI 28 8 Digit Freq Counler C C 19.95
7217IJI 28 4 Digit LED Up/Down Counter C A 10 95
7217AIPI 28 4 Digit LED Up/Down Counter C.C 11.95
7224IPL 40 LCD Vk Digit lip Counter DR1 10.95
7226AIJL 40 8 Digit Univ Counter 29.95
7226AEV/KH' 40 5 Function Counter Chip. XTL 74 95
130009 1983 INTERSIL Data Book M356~j . . . .$9.951
Scv. 74HC High Speed CMOS
1355 SHOREWAY ROAD, BELMONT, CA 94002
1/84 PHONE ORDERS WELCOME — (415) 5928097 Telex: 1 76043
74HCO0
74HC02
74HC03
74HC04
74HCU04
74HC08
74HC10
74HC11
74HC14
74HC20
74HC27
74HC32
74HC42
74HC51
74HC58
74HC73
74HC74
74HC75
74H(76
74HC85
74HC86
74HC107
74HC109
74HC112
74HC113
74HC132
74HC137
74HC138
74HC139
IS
.99
74HC147
M
1.19
74HC151
16
.89
74HCI53
tfi
.99
74HC154
74
2.49
74HCI57
Ifi
.89
74HC158
1fi
.89
74HC16D
16
1.29
74HC161
tl
1.29
74HC162
1fi
1.29
74HC163
Ifi
1.29
74HC164
14
129
74HC165
16
2.79
74HC173
16
1.69
74HC174
1R
.99
74HC175
M
99
74HC192
16
1.39
74HC193
16
1,39
74HC194
16
1.09
74HC195
Ifi
1.09
74HC237
N
2.95
74HC240
71)
1.95
74HC241
?n
195
74HC242
14
1.95
74HC243
14
1.95
74HC244
?f)
1.95
74HC245
20
2.49
74HCU04 is
unbuffered
74HC251
74HC253
74HC257
74HC259
74HC266
74HC273
74HC280
74HC373
74HC374
74HC390
74HC393
74HC533
74HC534
74HC595
74HC688
74HC4002
74HC4017
74HC4020
74HC4024
74HC4040
74HC4060
74KC4075
74HC4078
74HC4511
74HC4514
74HC4538
74HC4543
All others
14
395
20
7 39
20
7 39
16
149
14
1 49
70
7 39
20
7 39
16
3 95
20
3 19
24 3.79
16 239
16 349
Duflered.
'Programmable Array Logic (PALS)
Part N
PAL10H8 20 0ctan0-lnpulAN0DRGateArray(High Output) . . .
PAL12U6 20 Hex 12-lnput AND-OR Gate Array (High Output}
PAL14K4 20 0uadl4-lnputAND-0RGateArray(High Output) ....
PAL10L8 20 Octal 10-lnpul ANO-OR-lnvert Gale Array (Low Oulput).
PAL12L6 20 Hex 12-lnpu! ANO OR Invert Gate Array (Low Output)
PAL14L4 20 OuarJ 1-t-lnputANDOR-lnvert Gate Array(LowOulpul)
PAL16L8 20 0ctal16-lnpulAND-0R-lnvertGaleArray ...
PAL16R8 2Q Octal i6-lnpui Register ANO-OR Gate Array
PAL16R6 20 Hex 16-lnput Register AND-OR Gate Array
PALI6R4 20 Quad 16-lnpul Register AfJO-OR Gate Array . .
30012 1982 NATIONAL PAL Data Book (i76p). .$5.95 I
74COO
74C0?
/JI.IM
74C08
74C10
?;cn
74C20
74C3Q
74C37
;■:(;■:;'
MC-Ui
7AC,n
/•h.:/4
74CB5
-■u:tit;
?.:. i •
i.\w.
74C93
74C95
71C107
74C151
74C154
74C157
74C160
74C161
74C157
74C163
74C164
,.tCi/;>
74C174
74C175
74C192
74C195
74C221
74C240
74C244
74C373
74C374
74C901
74C903
74C906
74C911
74C912
74C915
74C917
74C923
■
74C926
80C95
80C97
1K171CP 8
TL072CP 8
TL074CN 14
TL081CP 8
TL082CP 8
TL084CN 14
LM301CN 8
LM302H
LM304H
LM305H
LM307CfJ B
LM308CN 8
LM309K
LM310CN 8
LM311CN 8
LM312H
LM317T
LM317K
LM318CN 8
LM3t9N 14
LM320K-5
LM320K-12
LM320K-15
LM320T-5
LM320T-12
LM320MS
LM323K
LM324N 14
LM337T
LM338K
Lf«39N 14
LM340K-5
LM340K-12
LM340K-15
LM340T-5
LM340T-t2
LM340T-15
LF347N 1
LM348N 1
LM350K
LF355N
LF356N
LM370N 1
LM373N 1
LM377N 1
LM380N 1
LM381N 1
LM382N 1
LM364N 1
LM386N-3
TL494CN 1
TL496CP
NE537V I
NE544N 1.
NE550A V
NE555V I
LM556N V
NE564N 11
LM565N V
LM566CN I
IM567V I
NE570N II
LM703CN
LM709N 1
LM710N 1
LM711N 1
LM723N 14 .55
LM733N 14 1.00
LM739N 14 1.95
LM74ICN 8 .35
LM747N 14 .69
LM748N 8 59
LM1310N 14 1.49
LM1458CN 8 .59
LMI488N 14 89
LM1489N 14 .89
LM1496N 14 1.95
LM1800N 16 2.49
LM1871N 18 2.95
LMI872N 16 3.25
LM1877N-9 14 2.49
LM1889N 18 2.25
LM1696N 14 2.95
LM2002T 1.95
LM3189N 16 1.59
LM3900N 14 59
LM3905CN 8 1.19
LM3909N 8 .99
LM3914N 18 2.95
LM3915N IB 2.95
LM3916N 18 2.95
BC4136M 14 1.2S
RC415SNB 8 1.95
RC4194TK 4 49
NE5532 B 2.49
NE5534 8 1.69
ICL803BB 14 3.95
LM13080N 8 1.19
LM13600N 16 1.19
MORE AVAILABLE
30003 1982Nat. Linear Data Book (1952 pgs) .$11.95,
S3LL
534 BYTE January 1984
Circle 200 on inquiry card.
r.
VOICE SYNTHESIZER
FOR APPLE AND COMMODORE
• Over 250 word vocabulary -affixes allow the formation of mora
than 500 words • Built-in amplifier, speaker, volume control, and
audio jack • Recreates a clear, natural male voice • Plug-In user
ready with documentation and sample software • Case size:
VU'X x 3V«"W x 1-3/8-H
APPLICATIONS;
• Security Warning
• Teaching
• Instrumentation
• Telecommunication
• Handicap Aid
• Games
The JE520 VOICE SYNTHESIZER wlllplug right Intoyour compuUrand illow youto
enhance almost any application. Utilising National Semiconductor's DIGlTALKER tm
Speech Pioctsior 1C (with lour custom memory chips), the JE520 compresses
natural speech Into digital memoiy. including the original inllecllons and emphases.
The result Is an extremely clear, natural vocallzallon.
Pari No. Descrlpllon Price
JE520CM For Commodore 64 &VIC-20 $114.95
JE520AP For Apple II. Il+,and//e $149.95
Micro-Logic Corp. * %\ . %| ;fl * v - :*
MICRO-CHARTS " *>* ; .v'lsW.l
• Fully decoded data • Instant access • 2-sided, totally comprehensive » Compact
B Vt x 1 1 in. durable credil card plastic • Perlecl lor programmers & engineers
• Clear & concise fables for: lull instruction set, disassembly. ASCII, baseconver-
sion. ellecl ot flags, compare vs. jump, interrupt structure, pinoul, cycle times,
diagrams, bug notes. &much more...
PARTNO, REFERENCE PRICE
ML-Z80 Z80CPU $5.95
ML-8080A 8080A/8085A $5.95
ML-6502 6502 (65XX) $5.95
ML-8048 8048, Relatives $5.95
ML-7400 5400/7400 TTL Pin-Outs $5.95
ML-ALGO Basic Algorithms $5.95
BOOKS
30001 NationalCMOSData Book (1981) S6.95
(640 pages) 74C, CD4000. and AfD Converters
30003 National Linear Data Book (1982) S11 .95
(1376 pages) LM. LF, ADC, DAC, LH Series
30008 National Memory Date Book(1980) S6.95
(464 pages) RAMs, ROMs, PROMs. EPROMs Series
30009 Intersil Data Book (1983) $9.95
(1356 pages) Complete line.
30010 National Audio/Radio Handbook (19B0) S5.95
(240 pages) Pre-Amps, AM, FM & FM Stereo, Power Amps
30012 National PAL Dala Book(19B2> JS.9S
(176 pages) Application Notes, Linear Brlels, etc.
30013 ZllogDataBook(19B3) S7.95
(641 pages) Microprocessors and Support Chips
210830 Intel Memory Components Handbook (1983) S14.95
(798 pages) Contains all Application Notes, Article
Reprints, Data Sheets, and other design information
on Intel's RAMs. EPROMs, E'PROMs & Bubble Memories.
210844 Intel Microprocessor & Peripheral Handbook(1983) $14.95
(1027 pages) Contains Data Sheets on alt ol
Intel's Microprocessors and Peripherals.
4-D'igit Fluorescent Alarm Clock Kit
• Bright 4-digit 0.5'high display • 10 minute snooze alarm
• AM/PM Indicator • Automatic display dimmer
The JET50 ClockKli Is a versatile 12-hour digital clock with 24-hour alarm. The clock
tiasa brlglitO.5" high blue-green llaurescentdlsplay. The 24-hour alarm allows the
onr to d aablethe alarm and immediately re-enable the alarm to activate 24 hours
later. The kils Includes all documentation, components, case and watttranslormer.
SIm: 6-5/B-L x 3'Vi"H x 1Y«"0. •
JE750 Alarm Clock Kit $29.95
J a me co Digital Thermometer Kit
l4Utl.l'].IH1
Dual sensors — switch
controls lor indoor/outdoor
or dual monitoring — can be
extended to 500 feet. Con-
tinuous LED .8" ht. display.
Range: -40"F to 199"F, -40"C
to 100"C. Accuracy ±1"
nominal. Calibrate lor
Fa hr en hei tf Celsius.
-^ - " — : Simulated walnut case. AC
I COnn (ton nc waM ada P ,er included. Size:
JhoUU $oy.y5 6VLx3VHxiro.
Universal Computer Keyboard Enclosures
"OTE" BiankOesk-Top Enclosures
are designedtoreasy modifica-
tion. Highstrenglhepoxymolded
end piecesln mochaOrown llnlsh.
Slidlngrear/bollompaneilor service/
componenlaccess'. Top/boll, panels .080"
thick alum, atodine type 1200 finish (gold lint
color) lor best paint adhesion alter modification
Vented top& boltompanels lor cooling efficiency,
Rigidconstruction providesunlimited applications.
■B.so — fc/ Assembly instructions included.
DTE-B Pane\VfW1h7.5- $24.95
DTE-11 Panel Width 10.13" $27.95
DTE-14 Panel Width 13.5" $29.95
OTE-20 Panel Width 19.25* $34.95
W. DTE-22 Panel Width 21.375" $39.95
CARD-EDGE
CONNECTOR
MiteiaHltdoubli-ildld
1/16-PCboirdwitti
10O"cinl«n
c&tw CARO-EOGE CONNECTORS
Conductor* 1-9 10-99 100 +
SOLDER A
TRANSITION -
CONNECTORS
FOR PERMANENT
TERMINATION TO PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS
36-Pin RIBBON 24-Pin
CENTRONICS CONNECTORS IEEE488
CENHM
CfNHF
CENJ4M
CEN24F
CEN36M
CEN36F
3E MlK
36 Fimjli
SOCKET
CONNECIOR
Milii with 2rowiol
i" iq w dla poili A * m -■'?'■
Iltuni el .100" \fmSm.
SOCKET CONNECTORS
MALE CONNECTOR
UB \
ir™
"A
u-i
§r
^»Jp
CONNE
CTORS
Ho at
Conticti/
Pan No
Styrt
1-9
10-99
100-.
C0E9P
9 Mile
2 95
2.65
229
CDE9S
3 39
3 09
2 E9
C0A1SP
IS Mile
3 95
355
3 09
C0A15S
15 Fimjle
4 75
i 19
3 E9
C0825P
25 Mile
5 49
4 79
4 25
CD825S
25 Female
5 95
5 49
4B5
C0C37P
37 Mtle
7 79
6 95
6 09
CDG37S
37 F mil!
(95
7 95
6 95
28AWG FLAT GREY CABLE
CUSTOM ASSEMBLIES
ACCESSORIES FOR APPLE* COMPUTERS
Numeric/Auxiliary Keypad
for APPLE lie*
idem lor VisiCaif ' users TheJE6t4 Koypad Is housed inadurobis
mem enclosure ana ,s color coordinated wilh youf APPLE lit
Screen, Scroll Uc. Scroll Oo*n. Tab. Delete. Lell. flight. Up arx) Ogwn
EacMKnylasaulo repeal
JE614 AssemblscJand Tested S89.95
Switching Power Supply
for APPLE II, II+ and lie*
• *pt,l«l,p. [I'ufl m
Extended 80 Column/64K RAM
Card for APPLE lie*
JE864 Assembled andTasted $149.95
Cooling Fan for APPLE II,
ll+and/fe*
POWER SUPPLY +5V0C @ 7.5 AMP, 12V0C @ 1.5 AMP SWITCHING
Input: 115VAC, 50-60H7 <fr 3amp/230VAC. 50Hz 1.6amp. Fanvotl./power supply select swit-
ches ( 115/230VAC). Output: 5V0C @ 7.6 amp, 1ZVDC @ 1.6 amp. 8 It. blk. pow. cord. 1 1 'ft'* W x
13V0x 3VH, Wt. 6 lbs.
Part No. PS94VDS $39.95 each
POWER SUPPLY 4-Channel Switching - Apple Compatible
Microprocessor, mlnl-compuier, terminal, medical equipment and process control applications. In-
put: 9D-130VAC 47-440H2. Output: +5V0C @ 5A, -5VDC® 1A: +12VDC @ 1A, -12VDC@ 1A.
Linereo.: ±0.2%. Ripple: 30mV p-p. Loadreg.: ±1%. Overcunent protection. Adj: 5 V main out-
putitOS. 6-3/B-L x 1-7/B-W x 4-15/16'H. Wl. I.Vi lbs.
Part No. FCS-604A S69.95 each
$10.00 Minimum Order — U.S. Funds Only
California Residents Add 6Vi% Sales Tax
Shipping — Add 5% plus $1.50 Insurance
Send S.A.S.E. for Monthly Sales Flyer!
Spec Sheets — 30c each
Send $1.00 Postage for your
FREE 1984 JAMECO CATALOG
Prices Subject to Change
MasterCard
mmmmm.
lameco
ELECTRONICS
No 01
Contacts/
Connoclor &
Price
Use Hie pan numbers Irom tne connectors and cable Id order your own
P»r, No
Conductors
W.r.Typi
Per Foot
custom assembled cables
EXAMPU llyoudesirea ?S loolcablewith a.ir
3ie"Ceniromcs"con-
171-9
9
28AWG Fill Sliandid
19
171.14
14
284.WG Fill Slnndtd
25
171-15
15
J8AW0FU! Stranded
27
CEN36M-25'-CEN36FClJST0M
17M6
16
J6.69(C£N36M| ♦ 9 75 [CEN36F)=
J18.44
171-20
20
26HWC Fill Slnndid
36
.65 x 25|25lMl36conrj.coble)= .
S16.25
171-?*
24
2BAWG Fiji Stranded
45
2.00 S»lupDh»(i)e onillcuitwn cablet
1 2.00
171-25
25
28AWG Fill Stranded
47
Thli (CEN36M. 25' -CEN36F CUSTOM) Cable ero
Id colt 136 69
171-26
26
28AWG Fill Slrandtd
.49
P-ease speedy CUSTOM alter ihepan ne to
ensure your order «il
Xein FfJET. not inches)
171- 34
34
28AWG FlatSlitndoit
62
b« tilled coffKiiy limoolant; Please specity a
171-36
171-37
36
2a»WGFta!SlianrJirj
65
171-40
10
2BAWG Fill Slnndid
75
WVu flfffinV U'rTT'JIi uili uAm 1
17150
H
2BAWG Fiji Slntided
89
ifliitliiihi^iiiil^l'Lii'irHi'i!
^ J|11 gjjj ™
1355 SHOREWAY ROAD, BELMONT, CA 94002
1/84 PHONE ORDERS WELCOME — (415) 592-8097 Telex: 176043
JE664 EPROM PROGRAMMER
8K TO 64K EPROMS — 24 AND 28PIN PACKAGES
• Programs, validates, and checks tor property erased EPROMs * Emulates PFIOMs
or EPROMs • RS232C Computer Interlace lor editing/program loading • Loads data
Into RAM by keyboard * Changes data In RAM by keyboard • Loads RAM (rem an
EPROM • Compares EPROMs tor content ditlerences • Copies EPROMs • Power In-
put: 115 VAC, 60Hz, -4 10W power consumption • Enclosure: Color-coordinated,
tight Ian panels w/molded mocha brown end pieces • Size: 15-5/8"L x B'tY'O x
3Vt"H • Wt.: 5* lbs.
JE664-A EPROM Programmer $995.00
AssemOled & Tesled (Includes JM16A Module)
JE665 — RS232C INTERFACE OPTION — The JE665 RS232C interlace
Option implements computer access to the JE664's RAM Sample soltwarewnllen in
BASIC provided tor TRS-SO* Model I. Level II Computer. Baud rale 9600. Word
Iglti: 8 Oils-odd parity. Stop hits: 2 Option maybe adaptedio older compulers The
JE665 can be interlaced loany computer with an RS232 port. I ntormationlsalso pro-
vided tor interlacing loany CP/M system wittian RS232 port.
JE664-ARS EPROM Programmerw/JE665 Option 51195.00
Assembled and Tesled (Includes JMi6AModule)
EPROM JUMPER MODULES - The JE664 s JUMPER MODULE (Personality
Module) is a plug-in Module Inai pre sels JE664 lo f proper programming pulses to
Ihe EPROM & conligures EPROM socket conneclions lor lhal particular EPROM
P/N EPROM EPROM MANUFACTURER PRICE
JMOBA 2708 AMO.Motorola.Nalional. Intel. T1(25V) S14.95
JMt6A 2716.TMS2516 Intel.Molorola.Nationai.NEC.TI, (25V) S14.95
JM168 TMS2716 Molorola. Tl( + 5.-5. +12) S14.95
JM32A TMS2532 Motorola. Tl (25V) . . S14.95
JM32B 2732 AMD. Fujitsu. NEC. Hitachi. lnlel(25V) S14.95
JM32C 2732A(2tV) Fujitsu. Intel (2tV) S14.95
JM64A MCM6B764,
MCM6BL764 Motorola (2tV) S14.95
JM648 2764 lntet(2lV) 514.95
JM64C TMS2564 TH25V) S14.95
UV-EPROM Eraser
8 Chips — 51 Minutes
1 Chip — 37 Minutes
Erases2708, 2716, 2732,2764, 2516, 2532,2564. Erases up to B chips
within 51 minutes (1 chip In 37 minutes). Maintains constant exposure
distance ol one Inch. Special conductive foam llnar eliminates sialic
buildup. Built-in salety lock to prevent U V exposure. Compact — only
9.00" x 3.70" x 2.60". Complete with holding tray tor 8 chips.
DE-4 UV-EPROM Eraser . . . $ 79-95
UVS-11EL Replacement Bulb ....$16.95
5 1 /4" APPLE™
COMPATIBLE
OISK DRIVE
•Uses Shugart SA390 mechanics • I43K
lormattod storage * 35 tracks — compatible
with Apple controller • Complctewith connec-
tor and cable — just plug into your disk con-
troller card • Size: 6"L x 3V>"W x
B-9/16"0 • Weight: 4V, lbs.
PartNo.ADD-514 S195.95
K FLOPPY DISK DRIVE
• Shugart 801 R
compatible
• Single-Sided
• 77 Tracks
• 400/800K Bytes
Capacity
• Industry Standard
The FDD10O8 8* Floppy Disk Drive (Industry Standard) features
Single ordouble density. Recording mode: FM single, MFM double
density. Transfer rate: 250K bits/sec. single density; 500K bits/sec.
double density. The F00100-8 is designed to work with the single-
sided soft sectored IBM Diskette I, or e<3. disk cartridge. Power:
115VAC @ 50-60HZ, + 24VDC @ 1.7 amps max., + 5VDC © 1.2 amps
max. Unit as pictured above (does not include case, power supply, or
cables). Size: 8.55'W x 14"L x 4.5"H. Weighs 12 lbs. Incl. 96-pg.
manual.
FDD100-8 . .$1 69.95 ea.
IBM MEMORY EXPANSION KIT
SAVE HUNDREDS OF $$$ BY UPGRADING
MEMORY BOARDS YOURSELF!
Most ol the popular memoiy boards allow you to add an additional
64K, 128K, 192K, or 2S6K. Tha IBM64K Kit will populate thase boards
In 64K byte Increments. The kit is simple to Install — just insert the
nine 64K RAM chips in the provided sockets and set the two groups
ol switches. Directions ere included.
IBM64K (Nine 200ns 64K RAMs) S49.95
EXPAND YOUR MEMORY
TRS-80to16K, 32K, or 48K
"Model 1 = From 4K to 16K Requires (1) One Kit
Model 3 = From 4K to 48K Requires (3) Three Kits
Color s From 4K to 16K Requires (1) One Kit
"Model 1 equipped with Expansion Board up to 4BKTwo Kits Required
— One Kit Required lor each 16K of Expansion —
TRS-16K3 *200ns for Color & Model III S12.95
TRS-16K4 ^Ons for Model I S10.95
TRS-80 Color 32K or 64K Conversion Kit
Easy to install kit comes complete with 8 ea. 4164-2 (200ns) 6
dynamic RAMs & conversion documentation. Converts TRS-BOcolor
computers with E circuit boards, & all new color computers to 32K.
Minor modifications ol 32Kmemory will allow the useol all the64K ol
the dynamic RAM providing you have a FLEX DOS operatingsystom
TRS-64K2 $44.95
Circle 200 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 535
TERMS: For shipping include
$2.00 for UPS Ground or $3.00
for UPS Blue Air. $10.00 mini-
mum order. Bay Area and Los
Angeles Counties add 6 1 /2%
Sales Tax, other California resi-
dents add 6% Sales Tax. We re-
serve the right to limit quantities
and substitute manufacturer.
Prices subject to change without
notice.
VISIT OUR RETAIL STORE
2100 De La Cruz Blvd. .
Santa Clara, CA 95050
(408) 988-0697
I
STATIC RAMS
2101
256x4 (450ns
1.90
5101
256x4 450ns
(cmos)
3.90
2102-1
1024x1
450ns
.88
2102L-4
1024x1
450ns
(LP)
.98
2102L-2
1024x1
250ns
1.45
2111
256x4
450ns
2.45
2112
256x4
450ns
2.95
2114
1024x4 1 450ns
8/9.90
2114-25
1024 x4 250ns
8/9.95
2114L-4
1024 x41450ns (LP)
8/11.95
2114L-3
1024x4 (300ns
1024 x 4 (200ns
It?!
6/12.45
2114L-2
8/12.95
2147
4096x1 (55ns)
4096x1 (450ns)
4.90
TMS4044-4
3.45
TMS4044-3
4096 x 1 (300ns)
3.95
TMS4044-2
4096 x 1 (200ns
4.45
MK4118
1024x8 (250ns)
9.90
TMM2O16-200
2048x8 200ns)
4.10
TMM2016-150
2048x8 (150ns
4.90
TMM2016-100
2048 x 8 (100ns
6.10
HM6116-4
2048x8 (200ns) (cmos)
4.70
HM6116-3
2048 x 8 (150nsl (cmos)
4.90
HM6116-2
2048 x 6 120ns cmos
6.90
HM6116LP-4
2048 x 8 200ns (cmos (LP)
5.90
HM6116LP-3
2048x8 150ns cmos LP
6.90
HM6116LP-2
2048x8 (120ns| (cmosj(LP)
9.95
Z-6132
4096x8 (300ns) (Qstat)
33.95
LP = Low Power Qstat = Quasi-Static
DYNAMIC RAMS
TMS4027
4096x1 (250ns)
1.95
UPD411
4096x1 300ns)
2.95
MM5280
4096x1 (300ns)
2.95
MK4108
6192x1 (200ns
1.90
MM5298
6192 x 1 250ns
1.80
4116-300
16364 x1300ns
8/10.75
4116-250
16384 x1250ns
8/10.95
4116-200
16384x1 (200ns)
6/11.95
4116-150
16384 x11150ns)
8/13.95
4116-120
16384 x1120ns
8/28.95
2118
16384 xl(150ns (5v)
4.90
4164-200
65536 x11200ns) I5vj
5.90
4164-150
65536 x1( 150ns) (5v)
5V = single 5 volt supply
EPROMS
6.90
1702
256x8 1US)
4.45
2706
1024x8
450ns)
3.90
2758
1024X 8
450ns) <5v)
5.90
2716
2048x8
450ns) 5v
3.90
2716-1
2048x8
350ns 5v
5.90
TMS2516
2048x8
450ns (5v)
5.45
TMS2716
2048x8
450ns
7.90
TMS2532
4096x8
450ns (5v)
5.90
2732
4096x8
450ns 5v
4.90
2732-250
4096x8
250ns) (5v|
8.90
2732-200
4096x8
200ns) (5v)
10.95
2764
8192x8
450ns (5v)
9.90
2764-250
8192x8
250ns) (5v
13.95
2764-200
8192 x 8
200ns (5v)
23.95
TMS2564
8192 x 8
450ns 5v)
16.95
MC68764
8192x8
450ns) 5v(24pin)
38.95
27128
16384x81
.all
Call
5v m Single 5 Volt Supply
74LS00
74LS00
.23 74LS173
.68
74LS01
.24 74LS174
.54
74LS02
.24 74LS175
.54
74LS03
.24 74LS181
2.10
74LS04
.23 74LS189
8.90
74LS05
.24 74LS190
.88
74LS08
.27 74LS191
.88
74LS09
.28 74LS192
.78
74LS10
.24 74LS193
.78
74LS11
.34 74LS194
.68
74LS12
.34 74LS195
.68
74LS13
.44 74LS198
.78
74LS14
.58 74LS197
.78
74LS15
.34 74LS221
.88
74LS20
.24 74LS240
.94
74LS21
.28 74LS241
.98
74LS22
.24 74LS242
.98
74LS26
.28 74LS243
.98
74LS27
.28 74LS244
1.25
74LS28
.34 74LS245
1.45
74LS30
.24 74LS247
.74
74LS32
.28 74LS248
.98
74LS33
.54 74LS249
.98
74LS37
.34 74LS251
.58
74LS38
.34 74LS253
.58
74LS40
.24 74LS257
.58
74LS42
.48 74LS258
.58
74LS47
.74 74LS259
2.70
74LS48
.74 74LS280
.58
74LS49
.74 74LS286
.54
74LS51
.24 74LS273
1.45
74LS54
.28 74LS275
3.30
74LS55
.28 74LS279
.48
74LS63
1.20 74LS280
1.95
74LS73
.38 74LS283
.68
74LS74
.34 74LS290
.88
74LS75
.38 74LS293
.88
74LS76
.38 74LS295
.98
74LS78
.48 74LS298
.88
74LS83
.59 74LS299
1.70
74LS85
.88 74LS323
3.45
74LS86
.38 74LS324
1.70
74LS90
.54 74LS352
1.25
74LS91
.88 74LS353
1.25 ,
74LS92 .54 74LS363 1.30
74LS93 .54 74LS364 1.90
74LS95 .74 74LS365 .48
74LS96 .88 74LS366 .48
74LS107 .38 74LS367 .44
74LS109 .38 74LS388 .44
74LS112 .38 74LS373 1.35
74LS113 .38 74LS374 1.35
74LS114 .38 74LS377 1.35
74LS122 .44 74LS378 1.13
74LS123 .78 74LS379 1.30
74LS124 2.85 74LS385 1.85
74LS125 .48 74LS386 .44
74LS126 .48 74LS390 1.15
74LS132 .58 74LS393 1.15
74LS133 .58 74LS395 1.15
74LS136 .38 74LS399 1.45
74LS137 .98 74LS424 2.90
74LS138 .54 74LS447 .36
74LS139 .54 74LS490 1.90
74LS145 1.15 74LS624 3.95
74LS147 2.45 74LS640 2.15
74LS148 1.30 74LS645 2.15
74LS151 .54 74LS668 1.65
74LS153 .54 74LS669 1.85
74LS154 1.85 74LS670 1.45
74LS155 .68 74LS674 9.60
74LS156 .68 74LS682 3.15
74LS157 .64 74LS683 3.15
74LS158 .58 74LS684 3.15
74LS160 .68 74LS685 3.15
74LS161 .64 74LS688 2.35
74LS162 .68 74LS689 3.15
74LS163 .64 74LS783 23.95
74LS164 .88 81LS95 1.45
74LS165 .94 81LS96 1.45
74LS166 1.90 81LS97 1.45
74LS168 1.70 81LS98 1.45
74LS169 1.70 25LS2521 2.75
74LS170 1.45 25LS2569 4.20
6500
1MHZ
6502 4.90
6504 6.90
8505 8.90
8507 9.90
6520 4.30
6522 7.90
8532 9.90
6545 21.50
6551 10.85
2 MHZ
6502A 6.90
8522A 9.90
6532A 10.95
6545A 26.95
6551A 10.95
3 MHZ
6502B 13.95
6800
88000 58.95
6800 3.90
6802 7.90
6808 12.90
6809E 18.95
6809 10.95
6810 2.90
8820 4.30
6821 3.20
6828 13.95
6840 11.95
6843 33.95
6844 24.95
6845 13.95
6847 10.95
6850 3.20
6852 15.70
6860 9.90
8862 10.95
6875 8.90
8880 2.20
6883 21.95
68047 23.95
68488 18.95
6800 1MHZ
68B00 9.95
68B02 21.25
68B09E 28.95
68B09 28.95
88B10 8.90
68B21 6.90
68B45 18.95
68B50 5.90
8000
8035 5.90
8039 6.90
INS-8060 16.95
INS-8073 23.95
8080 3.90
8085 5.90
8085A-2 10.95
8086 28.95
8087 CALL
8088 38.95
8089 88.95
8155 6.90
8155-2 7.90
8156 6.90
8185 28.95
8185-2 38.95
8741 38.95
8748 23.95
8755 23.95
536 BYTE January 1984
Circle 137 on inquiry card.
I
8200
8202 23.95
8203 38.95
8205 3.45
8212 1.75
8214 3.80
8216 1.70
8224 2.20
8226 1.75
8228 3.45
8237 18.95
8237-5 20.95
8238 4.45
8243 4.40
8250 9.95
8251 4.45
8253 6.90
8253-5 7.90
8255 4.45
8255-5 5.20
8257 7.90
8257-5 8.90
8259 6.85
8259-5 7.45
8271 38.95
8272 38.95
8275 28.95
8279 8.90
8279-5 9.00
8272 6.45
8283 6.45
8284 5.45
8286 6.45
8287 6.45
8288 24.00
6289 48.95
Z-80
2.5 Mhz
Z80-CPU 3.90
Z80-CTC 4.45
Z80-DART 9.95
Z80-DMA 13.95
Z80-PIO 4.45
Z80-SIO/0 15.95
Z80-SIO/1 15.95
Z80-SIO/2 15.95
Z80-SJO/9 15.95
4.0 Mhz
Z80A-CPU 4.90
Z80A-CTC 4.90
Z80A-DART 10.95
Z80A-DMA 15.95
Z80A-PIO 4.90
Z80A-S1O/0 15.95
Z80A-SIO/1 15.95
Z80A-SIO/2 15.95
Z80A-SIO/9 15.95
6.0 Mhz
Z80B-CPU 12.95
Z80B-CTC 12.95
Z80B-PIO 12.95
Z80B-DART 18.95
ZILOG
Z8132 33.95
Z8871 38.95
DISC CONTROLLERS
1771 15.95
1791 23.95
1793 25.95
1795 48.95
1797 48.95
2791 53.95
2793 53.95
2795 58.95
2797 58.95
6843 33.95
8272 38.95
UPD785 38.95
MB8876 28.95
MB8877 33.95
1891 18.95
2143 17.95
UARTS
AY3-1014 6.90
AY5-1013 3.90
AY3-1015 6.90
PT-1472 9.90
TR1802 3.90
2350 9.90
2651 8.90
TMS6011 5.90
IM6402 7.90
IM6403 8.90
INS8250 9.95
INTERFACE
8T26 1.54
8T28 1.84
8T95 88
8T96 68
8T97 88
8T98 88
DM8131 2.90
DP6304 2.24
DS8835 : 1.94
DS8836 98
I
VOLTAGE REGULATORS
7805T .74 7905T .84
78M05C .34 7908T .84
7808T .74 7912T .84
7812T .74 7915T .84
7815T .74 7924T .84
78241 74 7905K t44
7805K 1.34 7912K 1.44
7812K 1.34 7915K 1.44
7815K 1.34 7924K 1.44
7824K 1.34 7gL05 JB
78L05 .88 79L12 .78
78L12 .88 79L15 .78
78L15 - 88 LM323K 4.90
78H05K 9.90 UA78S40 1.90
78H12K 9.90
C,T - TO-220 K - TO-3 L - TO-92
DIP SWITCHES
4 POSITION 84
5 POSITION 89
8POSITION 89
7POSITION 94
8 POSITION 94
IC SOCKETS
V99 100_
8 pin ST .12 .10
14 plnST .14 .11
16plnST .16 .12
18 pin ST .19 .17
20plnST .28 .26
22plnST .29 .26
24plnST .29 .26
28plnST .39 .31
40plnST .48 .38
84 plnST 4.20 call
ST - SOLDERTAIL
8 pin WW .58 .48
14 pin WW .88 .51
16 pin WW .68 .57
18 pin WW .98 .89
20 pin WW 1.04 .97
22 pin WW 1.34 1.23
24 pin WW 1.44 1.30
28 pin WW 1.64 1.44
40plnWW 1.94 1.75
WW » WIREWRAP
16 pin ZIF 6.70 call
24 pin ZIF 9.90 call
28 pin ZIF 9.95 call
ZIF - TEXTOOL (Zero Insertion Force)
CRYSTALS
32.768khz 1.90
1.0 mhz 4.90
1.8432 4.90
2.0 3.90
2.097152 3.90
2.4576 3.90
3.2768 3.90
3.579535 3.90
4.0 3.90
5.0 3.90
5.0688 3.90
5.185 3.90
5.7143 3.90
6.0 3.90
6.144 3.90
6.5538 3.90
8.0 3.90
10.0 3.90
10.738835 3.90
14.31818 3.90
15.0 3.90
16.0 3.90
17.430 3.90
16.0 3.90
18.432 3.90
20.0 3.90
22.1184 3.90
32.0 3.90
RESISTORS
!* WATT 5* CARBON FILM ALL STANDARD VALUES
FROM 1 OHM TO 70 MEG OHM
50 PCS 1.25
100 PCS 2.00
1000 PCS 15.00
APPLE ACCESSORIES
80Column Card 129.95
16 K Card 42.50
Fan 38.95
Power Supply 84.95
RF Mod 24.95
Joy Stick (Apple II) 29.95
Paddles Apple 9.95
Z80Card 129.95
SCRG Switch-A-Slot 19.95
Paddle Adapple 24.95
Extend-A Slot 19.95
Disk Drive 224.95
Controller Card 69.95
5V*" DISKETTES
ATHANA OR NASHUA
SSSD 18.95
SSDD 22.95
DSDD 27.95
PERISOFT
ACCESSORIES FOR APPLE II & lie
ALL WITH 1 YEAR WARRANTY BY
PRINTERLINK
CENTRONICS
PARALLEL INTERFACE
• Simple to use — No configuring required
• Use with any Centronics printer — EPSON,
OKIDATA, etc.
• Includes Cable & Manual
$58°°
MESSENGER
SERIAL INTERFACE
• Connects to any RS-232 serial device
• 8 switch selectable drivers for printers,
terminals and modems
• Includes Cable & Manual
$98°°
TIMELINK
REAL TIME CLOCK
• Applications in file management, word
processing, communications, etc.
• Exclusive Alarm Clock feature
• Battery recharges automatically
$83°°
NEW BUFFERLINK
ADD-ON PRINTER BUFFER
• No more waiting for printed output
• Connects easily to any parallel interface
• Expandable from 16K to 64K
$138°° (16K)
The Flip Sort™
The new Flip Sort™ has all the fine qualities of
theoriginal Flip Sort™, withsome added bene-
fits. Along with a new design, capacity has in-
creased 50%, to hold 75 diskettes and the
price is more reasonable than ever. $19.95 ea.
The Flip Sort Plus™
The Fiip Sort Plus™ adds new dimensions to
storage. Designed with similar elegant lines as
the original Flip Sort™, in a transparent
smoked acrylic. The Flip Sort Plus™ has a stor-
age capacity of over 100 diskettes and has all
the outstanding features you have come to ex-
pect from the flip sort Family. 24.95 each
DoKa
Circle 137 on inquiry card.
2100 De La Cruz Blvd.
Santa Clara, CA 95050
BYTE January 1984 537
t^/lAEWVNCEDl
T P^COMPUTER
^\/mODUCTS
COMPATIBLE
DISK
CONTROLLER
o„.» $ 49 95
IBM PC COMBO CARD
MEMORY PLUS AT LOW PRICES!
Now! "Multicard" expandable
from 64-256K with
(1) PARALLEL (1) SERIAL
(1) CLOCK/CALENDAR
$22900
COEX64SPCwith64K
COEX 256 SPC with 256K
$ 399°°
S-10064KcmosRAMCARD
Unbelievable
Price!
'299 1
100
Assembled and Tested
• ACP has sold over 1 000 of these IEEE compatible;
low-priced, high-reliability 64K Static RAM Cards.
• Single 5-Volt operation.
SIEMEN'S SALE
You can now purchase Shugart
compatible 8" Disk Drives below your
existing factory direct pricing!
These Prices are the lowest ever published.
•Siemen's SSDD FDD100-8. . $169.00
Also, with purchase of Disk Drives
you can buy the Vista V-1000 Dual Case
with Power Supply and Cable
for only $375.00 Regular Price $495.00
Offer Limited! Factory Warranty 90 Daysl
Shipped Immediately from Stock! 'OEM Quantities
DOT MATRIX PRINTER
COEX 80-FT
v* 9x7 Dot Matrix, 80 CPS, Bi-Directional
Printing
* 2K Buffered Memory
** 80. 96. 132 Columns. Graphics and
Block Printing
**» Selectable Char Pitch, Line Spacing
and Feed
COEX Interface Card to Apple $49.95
ACP HAS D SK DR VES
APPLE II COMPATIBLE
Thin
Line
Drive ^
=■-$'
'249
00
xj i^
TANDON 100-2
PC Compatible • Double Sided
$28goo
TOSHIBA Half-High
PC Compatible ■ Double Sided
$24g00
OTHER DR VES WE STOCK
HARDWARE
ASTMegaplus" Card L
P/N MG064 (64K, S, C) 3
•Comboplus" Card
P/N MC-064SPC (64K. 3, P. C) 3
•PC I/O Plua II- Card
P/N I/O (C, S) 1
• 'SIX PACK"
P/N SP064SPC (64K, S, P. C)
COEX Extender Card
Prototype Card
HERCULES
Hercules Graphic Card
MOUSE SYSTEMS Mouse for IBM
MICROSOFT
Mouse plus Multitool Word
MAR 6 Slot Expansion Chassis
for IBMPC'XT or Eagle etc
ORCHID Hi-Res Graphics Adaptor
PERSYST Spectrum (64-256K)
P/N SP64. (64K. Clk. S. P)
PLANTRONICS Color plus" Card
QUADRAM Quadboard (64-258K)
P/N Q64. 64K w/4 functions 3
QuadUnk Apple Card 6
Quadboard 64K
Microfazer Print Buffer MP-64
Ouadchrome (Hires RGB)
RIXON PC212A Modem I/O 5
SSM Transmodem 1200
USI Multidisplay Card
VISTA "Multicard"" (exp. 64-256K)
P/N V-064 (64K. Clk. S. P) 3
P/N V-256 (256K. Clk. S, P) 6
•"Maxlcard"" (up to 576K)
P/N V-576-64K
P/N V-576-576K
•"PC Master" (10 I/O) 4
•"PC Extender" (up to 10 I/O) 2
•"Dlskmasler" 2
•8" Thlnllne Dual Floppy
•V1200 6.2Mb Cartridge Drive
ACP
$279
Call
439
Apple Printer Interface
w/Apple to Epson Cable
$4Q95
Apple lie Compatible
80 Column $QQ95
Card W/64K
J 99 9
APPLE COOLING FAN
APPLE COMPATIBLE
POWER SUPPLY
COEX 80F/T SOcps
DYNAX Daisywheel
SILVER REED
EXP50O 132 Column
STAR MICRONICS • NEW!
Gemini 10X 120cps
Gemini 15 15"
EPSON FX80
FXtOO
BROTHER HR.1/BMC
DAISYWRITER
TTX Daisywheel
NEC Spinwriler 3550
IBM PC to Parallel Cable
APPLE COMPATIBLE
w& J0Y
STICK
IMsUlUslifci
AMDEK CORP
300 Green 12"
310 Amber 12"
Color I Composite/Hitachi
Color II RGB Hi-Res
BMC
12" Green
PRINCETON GRAPHICS
RGB IBM Lookalike
VISTA V1200
6.2 Cartridge Drive w/Controller
Apple or IBM Compatible
Please Specify
with Order
'999
95
VISTA "SOLO"
DISKETTES
DYSAN SW SS SD
DYSAN 5W DS SD
IBM SW SS SD
IBM SW SS DD
VERBATIM 52501 SS
VERBATIM 55001 DS
MAXELL MD1 SS
MAXELL MD2 DS
Flip Storage Box 5VV* (80 disks)
BULK SPECIAL SS
With Sleeve and Box
10/S5S
10/65
io m
10 65
10/45
10/55
10/50
10.'60
10/25
100 195
MORE IBM GOODIES
COMPUCABLE
Keyboard & Drive Covers (set)
CURTIS
PC Pedestal
PGS or Ouadchrome Adaptor
Vertical PC System Stand
IBM Mono Extension Cable
Keyboard Ext. Cable (3-9')
EPD PROTECTION DEVICES
The Lemon (Surge Protector)
The Peach (Surge Protector)
The Orange (with EMI/RFI)
The Lime
INTEL 8087 IC
KOALA PAD
KRAFT Joystick IBM
RAM EXPANSION
16K Motherboard (16 IC's)
64K Memory Exp. (9 IC's)
HAYES
Smartmodem 300
PC Modem Software 1.3 (above)
Smartmodem 1200
PC Software 1.4C (above)
Smartmodem 1200B
Smartcomll
800-854-8230
TWX
910-595-1565
Apple II lie
Compatible
Disk Drive
Totally compatible to Apple Drives.
o„.» $ 199 95
Controller $49.95
Just plug in and run.
Apple II 16K
RAM CARD
Compatible with
Z80Softcard™ . PASCAL CP/M™
Full 1 year Warranty. Top Quality by COEX
NEW LOW
ACP PRICE
AlsofromCOEX, NEW EPSON
Parallel Interface for Apple.
Wi th cable $49.9 5
VISTA A800
8" Disk Controller
for Apple £99
VISTA "DISKMASTER"
IBM Compatible
3", 5". 8" and $
V1 200 Compatible..
'49
95
199
95
Mail Order: P.O. Box 17329 Irvine, CA 927
Retail: 13108 E. Edinger, Santa Ana, CA 92
(714) 558-8813
542 W. Trimble, San Jose, CA 95131
(408) 946-7010
tippkz computer
Apple lie w/64K
Apple lie System
Apple lie Sys w/Ext Text
Disk II w/Controller
Disk II w/o Controller
Monitor III Green
Super Serial Card
Parallel Interface Card
80 Column Text Card
Extended 60 Column Text
Dot Matrix Printer
249.00
529.00
"Apple Products Available In-Store Only"
LIST
$1395.00
1995.00
2195.00
545.00
395.00
24900
195.00
165.00
125.00
295.00
695.00
ACP
$1195.00
1695.00
1895.00
449.00
359.00
189.00
169.00
139.00
MICROSOFT
Z80 Softcard
16 K Ramcard
SSM
AtO-ll 4 Function Serial/
Parallel
EASTSIDE
Wildcard Apple II
KENSINGTON
System Saver
KEYBOARD COMPANY
Numeric Keypad
Apple II Joystick
Apple II Hand Controllers
KRAFT
Joystick
Hand Controller
MPC
128K Bubble Memoiy
PROMETHEUS
VERSAcard Four-in-1
VISTA COMPUTER CO.
A800 8" Disk Control
Quartet Disk Drive 5W
Solo Disk Drive w/Conlr
Solo Drive w/o Contr
Vista 5'/i" Disk Contr
Typehead Bufler
VIDEX
Videoterm 80x24 Card
Keyboard Enhancer II
Soft Switch
Function Strip Keys
PRACTICAL PERIPHERALS
16K Microbufler
32K Microbufler
Snapshot Option
VOTRAX
Type n'Talk Speech
Personal System
VYNET
Apple II Voice Syn.
Apple II Telephone I/O
SCOTT INSTRUMENTS
Voice Recognifn VET80
COEX
16K RAM Card
Parallel Card w Cable
Apple Protocard
Apple Extendercard
Apple lie Ext RAM Card
CORVUS
ORANGE MICRO
The Grappler I/O (Plus)
The Bufferboard
SATURN SYSTEMS
32K RAM Card
128K RAM Card
STREET
ECHO II
LEGEND
64KC M/lle
128KC ll/lle
18SRC 18 K Static
MICROPRO Wordstar w/CP/M
MOUNTAIN COMPUTER
CPS Multifunction
Music System
A'D plus D/A
ROM Plus
M&R ENTERPRISES
Sup'rterm 80x24 Card
Sup'rMod II
SuprMod V (IBM)
ALS
TheCP;M Plus Z80 Card
Smarterm 80x24 Card
The Synergizer Package
UST
$395.00
195.00
149.95
49.95
29.95
ACP
$249.00
89.00
179.00
115.00
124.95
44.50
25.95
199.00 166.00
379.95
849.00
29900
249.00
92.00
49.95
345.00
149.00
35.00
79.00
259.00
299.00
149.00
299.00
799.00
249.00
199.00
49.00
35.00
279.00
129.00
30.00
69.00
220.00
253.00
109.00
799.00 675.00
99.00
99.00
29.00
29.00
199.00
175.00
175.00
327.00
599.00
149.00
23900
395.00
350.00
155.00
395.00
69.00
69.00
399.00
349.00
699 00
49.95
49.95
19.95
19.95
99.95
Call
139.00
139.00
179.00
439.00
269.00
499.00
135.00
415
169.00
335.00
299.00
129.00
269.00
49.00
49.00
329.00
279.00
549 00
SAVE UP TO 40%
BUSINESS
Screen Writer
BD Master
Visicalc '* 33
Visplot
PFS. File II
PFS. File III
VisitrendA/isiptot
PFS. Graph II
PFS. Graph III
Multiplan
Versaform
Wordstar
dBASE II
Supercalc
PFS. Report It
PFS, Report III
Acct Plus G/L
G/L. A/P. A'R
Above + Inventory
Magic Window
HOME
Home Accountant
Transend t
Transend II
Visiterm
ASCII Exprs. Prof.
$129 HOBBY
155 Zoom Graphics
185 Utility City
159 Locksmith 4.0
1 1 5 Nibbles Away II
155 GAMES
25 Choplifter
1 1 5 Frogger
155 Wizardy
199 Snack Attack
279 Cannonball Btitz
299 Knight Diamonds
439 Zork I
169 Zork III
95 Slarcross
115 Serpentine
299 Star Blazer
599 Deadline
799 Tubeway
115 Flight Simulator
Space Vikings
59 Sargon II
76 Spitfire Simulator
119 Apple Panic
89 Olympic Decath
Apple" Apple Trademark of Apple Computer
IBM'" IBM Trademark of International Business
Machines
| TERMS: MO. Cashier's Check. Bank Wire. Personal checks
w 2 weeks lor processing. Include Orivers License and
| credit card #s Visa. AMEX. CB add 3% service cna/ge Add
3% shipping & handling or S2.S0. whichever is greater. Add
10% for foreign orders or US Parcel Post. Include Telephone
number. NO CODs. Prices subject lo change without notice.
Some items subject lo prior sale. We reserve the right to
I substitute manufacturer. Retail prices may vary.
538 BYTE January 1984
Circle 14 on inquiry card.
AEMVNCED
MYiii.Hi3?
PRODUCTS
Serving Computer Professionals Since 1976
HARDWARE
AST Megaplus" Card List
P/N MG064 (64K. S, C) 395
•Combo plus '" Card
P/N MC-064SPC (64K, S, P, C) 395
•PC I/O Plus II*" Card
P/NI/0(C.S) 165
•"SIX PACK"
P/N SP064SPC (64K, S, P. C)
COEX Extender Card 40
Prototype Card 69
HERCULES
Hercules Graphic Card
MOUSE SYSTEMS Mouse for IBM
MICROSOFT
Mouse plus Multitool Word
ORCHID
Hi-Res Graphics Adaptor
PERSYST Spectrum (64-256K)
P/N SP64, (64K, Clk, S, P)
PLANTRONICS Color plus'" Card
QU ADR AM Quadboard (64-256K)
P/N 064, 64K w/4 functions 395
QuadLink Apple Card 660
Quadboard 64K
Micrafazer Prini Butler MP-64
Quadchrome (Hires RGB)
RIXON PC212A Modem I/O 596
SSM Transmodem 1200
USI Multidisplay Card
VISTA "Multlcard'"" (exp. 64-256K)
P/N V-064 (64K, Clk, S. P) 395
P/N V-256 (256K, Clk, S, P) 695
•"Maxlcard™" (up to 576K)
9IH V-576-64K
P/N V-576-576K
•"PC Master" (10 I/O)
•"PC Extender" (up to 10 \IO)
•"Dlskmaster"
•8" Thlnllne Dual Floppy
•V1200 6.2Mb Cartridge Drive
395
495
249
299
ACP
$279
279
115
299
29
35
359
269
Call
339
319
399
279
525
279
190
488
449
479
299
229
399
249
729
329
199
199
Call
PRINTERS
COEX 80F/T 80cps
DYNAX Daisywheel
SILVER REED
EXP500 132 Column
| STAR MICRONICS • NEW!
Gemini 10X 120cps
Gemini 15 15"
| EPSON FX80
FX100
I BROTHER HR-1 /BMC
DAISYWRITER
TTX Daisywheel
NEC Spinwriter3550
IBM PC lo Parallel Cable
S299 $199
525
399
599
319
469
549
749
895
1195
1495 1295
549
1875
MONITORS
AMDEK CORP
300 Green 12" $199
$155
310 Amber 1?' 210
175
Color I Composite/Hitachi 399
339
I Color II RGB Hi-Res 899
695
[BMC
12" Green 129
89
PRINCETON GRAPHICS
I RGB IBM Lookalike 700
545 |
DISKETTES
DYSAN 5VV SS SD
10/S55
$38
DYSAN 5W DS SD
10/65
48
IBM 5Vi" SS SD
10/60
43
IBM 5'A" SS DD
10/65
47
l VERBATIM 525-01 SS
10/45
23
VERBATIM 550-01 DS
10/55
34
1 MAXELL MD1 SS
10/50
29
l MAXELL MD2 DS
10/60
39
Flip Storage Box 5W (80 disks)
19
1 BULK SPECIAL SS
10/25
19
With Sleeve and Box
100/195
149
MORE IBM GOODIES
| COMPUCABLE
, Keyboard & Drive Covers (set)
| CURTIS
PC Pedestal
PGS or Quadchrome Adaptor
Vertical PC System Stand
IBM Mono Extension Cable
Keyboard Ext. Cable (3-9")
| EPD PROTECTION DEVICES
The Lemon (Surge Protector)
The Peach (Surge Protector)
The Orange (with EMI/RFI)
The Lime
INTEL 8087 IC
KOALA PAD
KRAFT Joystick IBM
| RAM EXPANSION
16K Motherboard (16 IC's)
64K Memory Exp. (9 IC's)
COMPUSERVE Subscription
SOURCE Subscription
MODEMS
HAYES
Smartmodem 300
$210
PC Modem Software 1 .3 (above)
49
Smartmodem 1200
525
PC Software 1 .4C (above)
79
Smartmodem 1200B
445
Smartcom II
79
Smartmodem to IBM Cable
25
64K I
SOFTWARE
dBASE II
$ 399 00
Condor
*389 00
SuperCalc
$99 00
SuperCalc 2
*1 79 00
Multiplan
$1 89 00
Wordstar
$299 00
Lotus 1-2-3
Call!
T. K. Solver!
Call!
Flight Simulator
$4500
Context MBA
Call!
Computer
Inovations
C86C Compiler
$369 00
Copy II Plus
*32 00
Visiword
$289 00
Digital Research
Pascal MT + 86 $295.00
Concurrent CP/M 86 260.00
CBASIC 86 149.00
Plus More Great
Software Values
In Our
1983 Catalog!
Send For
Your Copy NOW.
m?™*vm\
If You're Thinking IBM PC",
READ THIS!
COEX Combocard II
* 64K to 256K RAM
* ASYNC Serial Port
* Clock/Calendar w/Nicad Backup
* Parallel Printer Port
* RAM Disk Software
* Spooler Software
64K ,„, $ 229
256K »„, y $ 399
00
00
Zero "K" Version Available Only $199.00
PLUS! . . .with Purchase of either
Memory card above
SUPERCALC™ only $89.00 (195.00 value)
Disk Emulator FREE
Print Spooler FREE
ACP PC "FEATURE OF THE MONTH"
1. DISKMASTER". Disk Controller for IBM PC or XT adds both 5W and 8"
floppy drives. Complete with Software. Same card can also handle List ACP
the Amlyn 6.2 Mb Cartridge Add-on Subsystem $299 $199
2. VISTA 1200 with DISKMASTER" $999
3. M&R "SUP'R EXTENDER'"". IBM PC & XT Expansion Chassis with (6) Slots, Power
Supply and Fan. Your price!!! only $439.00. You cannot afford to live without one.
DISK DRIVES
TANDON 100-2
PC Compatible • Double Sided
$28900
TOSHIBA % High
PC Compatible • Double Sided
$24900
Circle 14 on inquiry card.
I TERMS: MO. Cashier's Check. Bank Wire. Personal checks
1 allow 2 weeks (or processing. Include Drivers License and credit
MAIL ORDER: P.O. Box 17329 Irvine, CA 92713
card #s Visa, AM EX. CB add 3% service charge. Add 3% n a t_i|. -t^m C Erfinnar c<m»« hr>-> *»« arrtnc f
shippings handling or $2,50. whichever is greater. Add 10% (or Reb »l- 13t0 E - "linger, Santa Arta, CA 92705
(714) 558-8813
542 W. Trimble, San Jose, CA 95131
(408) 946-7010
I foreign orders or US Parcel Post. Include Telephone number. NO
I CODs. Prices subject to change without notice. Some items
;t to prior sale. We reserve the right to substitute manu-
I (acturer. Retail prices may vary. We are not an authorized IBM
I dealer. IBM '" trademark ol International Business Machines.
800-854-8230
TWX •
910-595-1565
P. S-C- $229.00
CaM Forma DiqiTAl
Post Office Box 3097 B • Torrance, California 90503
FREE*
Plastic library case supplied with all
diskettes purchased from California Digital
$
19P 5
Manufactured for California Digital by one
of the most respected producers of mag-
netic media. Each disketles is double den-
sity at 40 tracks. To insure extended media
life all diskettes are manufactured with a
reinforced hub.
Each box of diskettes is supplied with a
free plastic library case.
Soft sector CAL-501 ; Ten sector CAL-51 0.
Also Available Double sided soft sec- «j
tor diskettes for use with the IBM/PC
CAL-551 $24. 95
stettes
5 l A" DISKETTES
WITH LIBRARY CASE
$
26.
50
Your Choice
SCOTCH
MEMOREX
VERBATIM
Single Side Double Density
Soft Sector 10 Sector 16 Sector
SCOTCH
MEMOREX
VERBATIM
MAXELL
DYSAN
744D-0
3481
525-01
MD1
104/1D
744D-10
3483
525-10
MH1-10
107/1D
744D-16
3485
NA
MH1-16
NA
26.50
26.50
26.50
26.50
45.00
Double Side Double Density
SCOTCH
745-0
745-10
745-16
39.00
VERBATIM
550-01
550-10
NA
42.50
MAXELL
MD2-D
MH2-10D
MH2-16D
45.00
DYSAN
104/2D
107/2D
NA
49.50
DYSAN 96
204/2D
NA
NA
59.50
EIGHT INCH DISKETTES
Single Side Single Density
Single Side Double Density
SCOTCH
740-0
29.50
SCOTCH
741-0
39.00
MEMOREX
3060
29.50
MEMOREX
3090
35.00
DYSAN
3740/1
39.50
DYSAN
3740/D
57.50
Thirty Two Sector
Double side Double Density
SCOTCH 1 740-32 1 29.50
SCOTCH
743-0
47.50
FJip& FiloS'j stores 50 disk. INC-S25 18 95
MEMOREX
3114
39.50
Scoichheadcle
Plaslic library ca
nkn5'4&8 MM
5esS'*&8- SHV
W-ck5 24 95
V-L5 2 95
DYSAN
3740/2D
65.00
23"
IC0MP0SITE
MONITOR
*159
Ideal monitor
for classroom
demonstrations.
I Ever try gathering a classroom ol students around a 12" monitor? Here is your opportunity to
I purchase a 23" high resolution monitor al a reasonable price.
I These units accept standard composit video signals generated by most personal computers including
I the Apple and IBM. Attach it your computer and in second you are shooting down Klingons in wide
I screen video.
I MQTBUBa 35 Lbs. Monitors are open frame and lor safety should be enclosed. Wood grained
VISA 1
r ^ "1
1 ,
speem
Shugart410
'129
These Shugart 410 SVV disk drives are all factory
fresh 1 983 production, recently purchased from the
Four Phase Division of the Motorola Corporation.
These disk drives are single sided 80 track{96 TPI)
suitable for use with the Radio Shack Model 1 and Model 3. Or any other
application that can supporta n 80 track second drive such as the IBM/PC. The
41 is full height and lunctionally (he same as the Tandon TM 100-3. Complete
with power connector and installation manual.
When these Shugart 410 s are liquidated the price will revert to our regular
price of S249. SHU-SA410
MEMORY
16K DYNAMIC
1.95
4116 150ns.
64K DYNAMIC
5.95
4164 150ns.
2732 EPROM
4.95
450ns.
16K STATIC
4.95
6116 200ns.
2764 EPROM
SALE*5.95
4027 4Kc1ynamic250ns
4116 150ns 16K
4116 200ns 16K
4164 150ns 64K 128 cell
41256 150ns 256K
DP8409 t
DYNAMIC MEMORY
1CM4027250
ICM-4116150
ICM-4116200
sh ICM-4164150
ICM- 41256150
ICT-8409
STATIC MEMORY
21L02 200ns IK static
21L02450ns, 1K static
2112 450ns 2Kstatic
2114 300ns. 1Kx4
4044TMS450ns 4K x 1
5257 300ns 4K x 1
61t6P4200ns 2K x 8
6116 P3 150ns 2K x 8
6167/2167 100ns 16K x 1 (20om>
2 708 450ns tKx8
2716450ns 2K x 8
2716TMS 450ns Tri-voliage
2732 450ns .4" "
ICM-21L02200
ICM21L02450
ICM-2112450
lCM-21 14300
ICM-40.1 1.150
ICM-5257300
ICM-6116200
ICM-6116150
ICM-6167100
EPROMS
ICE-2708
ICE 2716
1CE-2716TMS
ICE-2732
ICE-2732350
850
8 00
7.60
ICE-2532
10 50
990
9.50
2764 350ns 8Kx8
ICE-2764
5 95
5.65
535
27128350ns 16Kx8
ICE-27128
18 95
18 25
1775
2817 EEROM. 2Kx 8
ICE-2817
45 00
39 00
36.50
CONNECTORS
DB25P
************
lmm m s-i oo Gold <rY^^^-*
GOLDS-100 EDGE CARD CONNECTORS
catalog each 10-99 100 +
lmsais/t.250 CNE-IMS 2 95 2.50 219
Sul:ir.sHi/R,;l CNE-H100 .119 3 85 3 47
S-IOOW.roW CNE-W10 395 3 50 3 19
Altair.140' s/t CNE-100A 4.95 4 50 4 19'
.156" CENTER EDGE CARD CONNECTORS
22/44 Eyelet CNE-44E 250 2 15 195
■13/72 Molo S/ICNE-72S 6 60 6 15 5.75
36/72 D/G s/t CNE-72S 5,95 5 50 5.19
Other connoclrj's available upon request
RIBBON CONNECTORS
OB25Pmate CND-r25P 5 65 5 25 4 15
DB25S female CND-r25S 5 95 5 59 4 50
57-30360 male CNC-r36P 7 95 6 75 5 90
57-30360fmaleCNC-r36S 7 95 6.75 5 90
20 pin edge CNI DE20 4 35 3 30 2 50
20pinsockel CNI-DS20 2 75 IBS 160
26 pin edge CNI-OE26 4 95 3 50 2 70
26pirt 5 ockol CNI-DS26 3 50 2 40 2 15
34 pin edge CNIDE34 495 450 350
34 pin socket CNI-DS34 4 50 3 95 3 15
50 pm edge CNI-DE50 5 95 5 60 490
50 pin socket CNIDS50 4 95 4 60 3 SO
"IT TYPE dialog
each
10-99
100 +
DE9Pmale CND-9P
160
ion
1 30
l)|.!';';i,:m.ile CND-9S
225
POO
1 30
DE liootJ CND-9H
1 50
1.35
1 ?()
DAI 5P mate CND-iSP
235
? 10
1.90
i 1 mate cnd-iss
3 25
3 10
2.yu
DA15hood CND-15H
160
1.35
1.30
DB25P male CND-2SP
1.95
1 /5
1.35
DB25Slemale CND-25S
2 95
2.55
1.65
DB25hood CND2SH
1.35
1 15
n
DC37Pmale CND-37P
420
3 95
3B5
DC37Slemale CND-37S
595
5 /S
550
DC37hood CND-37H
225
195
1 65
DD50P male CND-50P
5 50
5 10
4/5
ODSOhood CND-50H
2 60
2.40
? in
Hardware 2/Set CND-2HS
89
.69
42
AMPHENOL / CENTRONICS TYPE
57-30360 36/P CNC-36P
7Ti
6.35
397
)EEE488. C'dor CND-24P
/ •:,:.■
'
: -:^
DISK DRIVE POWER CONNECTORS
8 6 pm DC CNP-6DC
< s---,
1 pfl
m
8 3ACSgl/S CNP-3SS
8 3ACD&I/S CNP-3DS
169
1 r.i
: t -,-j
1 (jq
—
5' j 4 pm DC CNP-4DC
1 79
1 19
3 5
3pmDINrecpt CNP-D3P
2.59
1.99
1 5?
Shipping: First five pounds S3.00, each additional pound S.50.
l MMmmmSmmmmsm
COD'S discouragei
Open accounts extended to state supported educational instil
■*■ — ith a strong "Dun & Bradstreet" rating.
08 Inglewood Avenue, Lawndaie 90260.
BLOWOUT
SALE
<169
it
California Digital has recently participated in-
the purchase of several thousand Siemens' _
FDD 100-8 floppy disk drives. These units are eiectronically^nd physically
similiar to that of the Shugart 801 R. All units are new and shipped in factory
sealed boxes. Manual ana power connectors supplied free upon request. Your
choice 1 1 5 Volt. 60 Hz. or 230 Volt. 50Hz.
in Frankfortreducing in
REMEX
DOUBLE
SIDED
'219
California Digital has just purchased a large quantity of Remex RFD-40Q0
Eight inch double sided disk drives. Remex is the only double sided disk
drive that has an double gimbal mounted head assembly that guaranties tower
head tracking. This drive is mechanically solid. Remex has always been
known for producing premiere products for the floppy disk market. The Remex
company is a subsidiary of the Ex-cell-o Corporation, a Fortune 500 Company.
Eight Inch Single Sided Drives
SHUGART 801 R
SHUGART 810 Half Height
SIEMENS F00 100-8
TANDON 848E-1 Half Height
One Two Ten
385 375 365
385 375 365
169 169 159
369 359 349
Eight Inch Double Sided Drives
SHUGART SA851R
SHUGART 860 Half Height
QUME842"QUMETRACK8"
TANDON 848E-2 Half Height
REMEX RFD-4000
MITSUBISHI M2894-63
MITSUBISHI M2896-63 Half Ht.
495 485 475
485 475 459
459 459 449
459 447 465
219 219 209
379 375 369
459 449 409
Five Inch Single Sided Drives
SHUGART SA400L 235 229 225
SHUGART SA410 96TPI/80 Trk. 129 119 call
SHUGART SA200V3 Height 159 149 139
TANDON TM100-1 189 179 175
Five Inch Double Sided Drives
REMEX RFD480 IBM compatible 199 189 175
SHUGART SA450 319 309 299
SHUGART SA455 Half Height 259 249 239
SHUGART SA465 Half Ht. 96TPI 289 279 269
TANDON TM50-2 Half Height 215 209 199
TANDON TM55-4 half Ht. 96TPI 329 319 309
TAN00N 100-2 279 269 259
TANDON 101-4 96TPI 80 Track 369 355 350
MITSUBISHI 4851 Half Height 259 249 245
MITSUBISHI 4853 1 / 2 Ht. 96TPI 339 329 319
MITSUBISHI 4854 V 2 Ht., 8" elec. 465 449 439
QUME 142 Half Height 239 229 219
TEACFD-55B Half Height 299 389 275
Three Inch Disk Drives
SHUGART SA300 with diskette 229 219 209
Five Inch Winchester Hard Disk Drives
SHUGART 612 13M/Bytes 895 865 825
SHUGART 706 6 M/Byte, Half Ht 795 775 755
SHUGART712 13 M/Byte, V 2 Ht. 895 865 825
SEAGATE 506 6 M/Byte 465 445 425
TANDON 503 19 M/Byte 895 875 855
Upon request, all drives are supplied
with power connectors and manual
ENCLOSURES
California Digital manufactures an asortmentoistockand custom diskdnve
enclosures. II the volume is justified we will cu stom design an en closure for
your application. The following stock disk drive enclosures are available.
All include power supplies the 8" enclosures are supplied with exhaust fans.
full
Horizontal mount two 8"
height drives. S279.00
Vertical mount two full height 8'
disk drives. $299.00
Horizontal mount one full height
or two half height 8" disk
drives. S239.00
Vertical mount two full height 5%
disk drives S139.00
TOLL FREE ORDER LINE
(800) 421-5041
TECHNICAL & CALIFORNIA
(213) 643-9001
CaM Forma DiqiTAl
Post Office Box 3097 B • Torrance. California 90503
19.200 baud. Screen attributes do not u:
characters Emulates 5 popular CRTtei
between 1 1 5 and 230 volt. We have never
lowpriceolonlyS475. LIB-F50 40 lbs,
LIBERTY $&7&
FREEDOM 50 ~# &
The liberty Freedom 50 terminal lealures detach-
able keyboard wilh 93 keys including 10 (unction
keys. 1 5 graphic symbols, and DIP switchselectable
character set for 7 loreign languages. The 12 inch
elched non-glare green phosphor screen displays
21 rows by 80 characters in 7x9 matrix with true
descenders. Seltteslarid 25thda1adisplayrowalso
included. Switch selectable baud raleslrom 110-
display n vmoiy. allowing operator l odisplay a lull 1920
inals foreasysollware contiguralion. Switch selectable
™nal with all those lealures lor the incredibly
DIABLO
Word Processing Printer
'879
Now from the originator ol the daisy wheel printer, the Diablo 620. Print speeds to24 char/sec
user selectable bi-directional printing, superscnpts. subscripts, graphics and more. Plus standard
RS-232 interfacing Communication speeds to 1200 baud wilh a 1 500 character print butler
Software progrsmable absolute horizontal tabs makes report lormatlmg easy. Over 20 dillereni
print wheels are currently available. The 6Z0au Imaiically selects the pnnt spacing tor 10. 12. 15
cnar/inch prml wheels. On site service availab lea/ldwtde. DBL-620 50 lbs.
Your Choice
Second Drive or Monitor
SANYO
IBM COMPATIBLE
<99$
Sanyo Electronics has just released the long awaited IBM/PC look-a-like, the
MBC-550. This is a complete microcomputer that includes 128K/byte of
memory, a SW 160K/byte disk drive upgradeable to 320K/byte drives. Also
includes both color composite and RGB graphics interface, low profile key-
board, and parallel printer port. Extensive software such as Sanyo Basic, disk
utilities, Wordstar word processing software, Calcstar spread sheet & Easy
Writer I. MS-DOS is supplied with the Sanyo computer. Most programs
written for the IBM/PC will operate on the MBC-550.
Along with all this California Digital offers "FREE" your choice of either a
second disk drive, or a high resolution green or amber screen monitor. All at
the super low price of only $995.
We are currently experiencing an initial shortage of this computer. Please
place your orders early. The MBC-550 will be shipped on a first ordered basis.
PRINTERS
'289
Star Gemini
MATRIX PRINTERS
StarGemim-lOX 120 char/sec. STRG10X
StarGemmt-l5X. 1 00 char/sec. 15" paper. STR-G15X
StarGemim Oella 10. 160 Char/sec STR-D10
StarCoex80FTIriction 8 tractor VST-C80FT
Toshiba P1350. 192char/sec lelterquality TOS-1350
Okidata82A serial & parallel 9V» "paper OKI-82A
Okidata 92A parallefinleiface. leOchar/sec. OKI-92A
Okidala 83A & parallel 1 5' paper OKI-83 A
Okidata 84A S parallel 15" paper OKI-84A
Okidata 2350(new) 350 char/sec OKI-2350
Epson FX80. 10" 160diar /sec withgraphlrax 6PS-FX80
Epson MX100 with graphtrax. 15" paper EPS-MX100
NEC8023Aparallel9'.j" paper, graphics NEC-8023A
Anadex9501Ahighspeedwilhgraphics AOX-9501A
Anadex 9620A 200 char/sec. par I S serial. ADX-9620A
Ouantex 7030corespondence quality 180 char/sec. OTX-7030
Gonlla low cosl dot malnx printer PRO-7500
Prown1er8510 parallel 9Vi "paper PRO-8510P
Prownter It. parallel 15 paper, graphics PRO-2P
Dalaproduds B-600-3. band printer 600 LPM DPS-8600
-inlronix P300 high speed printer 300 lines per minute. PTX-P300
Pnntronix P600 ultra high speed 600 lines per minute. PTX-P600
Transtar130P pail. IBM/PC compatible TNS-130P
WORD PROCESSING PRINTERS
NEC7710 55char/second.senalin1erface NEC-7710
NEC7730 55char/sec.par Imlerlace NEC-7730
NEC3550 popularprinterdesignedlorthe IBM/PC NEC-3550
NEC2050 designed lor IBM/PC 20 char/sec, pari NEC-2050
Silver Reed EXP500. 14 char/sec. pari interlace SRO-EXP500
SilverReedEXP550 l7Char/secpar linleilace. SRD-EXP550
Diablo 630 40char/sec. serial DBL-630
Diablo 620. proportional spacing. horz.S vert. tab. 20 cps. DBL-620
Juki 6100. 18 char /sec graphic mode. JUK-6100
Brother HR 1 A daisy wheel, parallel interlace BTH-HR1P
Brother H R1 A senal interlace BTH-H R I S
SlarwnterF10serial. 40char/sec. PRO-F10S
Starwnter FTOparallel, 40char/sec PRO-F10P
Comrex CRt word processing printer, serial mtr CRX-CR1S
Comrex CR2.5k butler, proportional spacing, pari. CRX-CR2P
239.00
419.00
439.00
229.00
1495,00
379 00
479.00
619.00
1019.00
1995.00
52900
589 00
38900
1099 00
1199.00
1595 00
189,00
343.00
68900
6985,00
4250.00
5795,00
62900
1979.00
1979.00
1799 00
99500
459 00
659.00
176500
87900
53900
695.00
779.00
1125.00
1125.00
729.00
495,00
MONITORS
BMC 12 A green phosphor 1 5 MHz. composit video
BMC 12' highresolulion. 20MHz.
Zenith ZVM122 Amber Phosphor 12' 40/80cotumn switch.
Zenith ZVM123 gieen phosphor 12" 40/80 column swiich.
NEC JF31201 green phosptor 18 MHz. composit video
NECJB1260commercialgrarJecomposi1.
USI Amberscreen 12" composit monitor
Motorola 23" open frame brk/while composit video.
Motorola 12 'opentrame requiceshorzsync andpower.
Conrac9'openlrame requires horr sync. & 12 v. supply.
COLOR
BMC AU9191U Color composit video wilhsound
BMC 9 19 1M RGB designed lor use with the IBM computer,
NEC JC1203OM. RGB color monitor
NEC JC1201 color composit.
Zenilh ZVM 134 RGB color suitable lor IBM PC
Comrex color composit with sound
Am dej-, C olor 1 -Composit video
BMC-12A
BMC-12EN
ZTH-122
ZTH-Z123
NEC-JB1201
NEC-JB1260
USI-12A
M0T-BW23
MOT-BW12
CON-BW9
79.00
134.00
1 19 00
10500
169.00
129.00
169.00
159.00
69 00
59,00
BMC-9191 24900
BMC-9191M 499.00
NEC-1203 699,00
NEC-JC1201 339.00
ZTH-Z134 379.00
COM-6500 329.00
AMK-100 329.00
MODEMS
DIRECT CONNECT
$69
Hayes Smait Modem 1200 baud, auto answer, auto dial HYS-212AD 474.95
Hayes 12008forusewithlhe IBM/PC. 1200baud. HYS-1200B 449.00
Hayes Smartmodem.300baudonly. autoanswer. autodial HYS-103AD 229.00
Hayes Micromodem II. l03Appledirectconnecl HYS-MM2 279.00
Hayes Micromodem 100, S-100 auto answer, autodial HYS-100 319.00
Hayes Chronograph, times date HYS-CHA232 199.00
US Robotics 2 l2A 300/ 1200 baud, autodial/answer. USR-212A 43900
Pennl300/1200aulodial.aulo1og PEN-12AD 695.00
Universal Data 103LP. line power, answer* originate UDS-103LP 169.00
Universal Data 103LP J, Auto answer UDS-103LPJ 219.00
Universal Data 202. 1200 baud, hall duplex only UDS-202LP 21900
al Data 212LP. lull 1200 baud duplex, line power UDS-212LP 359.00
. Novation J' Cat. direct connect, autoanswer NOV-.ICAT 115.00
^Novation Cat, acoustic connect NOV-CAT 159.00
in SmartCat 103, auto answer, autodial NOV-SC103 219.00
Novation SmartCat 103/212. 1200 baud auto dial N0V-SC212 529.00
Signalman Mark 1. direct connect with terminal cable. SGL-MK1 69.00
The Wyse 100 features die cast
aluminum case, 102 key keyboard
and non-glare 26 line green phos-
phor video display. Split screen
both horizontal an vertical makes
the WY-1 00 unusally user friendly.
This unique terminal is perfect to
enhance any business system,
'795
Freedom 50. split screen, delalchable keyboard
Visual 50. delalchable. keyboard selectable settings.
Visual 50 Green screen
Visual 330, emulator. 14 inch green phosphor.
Ampex Dialogue 125 green screen, iwo page, lunc keys
Ampex Dialouge 125 amber screen, two page, lunc. keys
Wyse 50, 14" green phosphor
Wyse 100, horz & vert, split screen, metal enclosure
Wyse 300. Eight color display, split screen. .
Televideo 910 Plus, block mode
Televideo 925. detachable keyboard, 22 (unction keys
Televideo 950. graphic chnr..splii screen, 2" '
mm
LIB-F50
VSL-50
VSL-50G
VSL-33014G
APX-D125G
APX-D125A
WYS-50
WYS-100
WYS-300
TVI-910P
TVI-925
TVI-950
ivi-y-o
ZTH-Z29
47500
619 00
650.00
925.00
675.00
685.00
595.00
79500
1159 00
575.00
759.00
950.00
1095 00
765.00
APPL
Apple ll/e, 64K computer only
Apple ll/e starter kit, monitor, disk, 80 col. card.
Advanced Busness Tech. 13 Key Pad
Calif. Computer 7710A Async. Serial Interface
Calif. Computer 7710B same but for modem
Calif. Computer 7 11 4A 1 2 K PROM module
Calif. Computer 7720A parallel interface
Calif. Computer 7724A Calandar/clockmodual
Calif. Computer 7729A Centronics interface
Calif. Computer 7740A programmable timer
California Digital 16K card for standard Apple II
Hayes Micromodem II for Apple II
Kensington Micro, System saver fan
Microsoft Softcard withCP/M; Z-80
Mountain Computer "The Clock"
Mountain Computer AD/DA 16 input, 8bit
Mountain Computer ROM Plus with keybd. filter
Mountain Computer ROM writer/socket socket
Orange Micro "GRAPPLER" parallel interface
Sorrento Valley 8" controller double side D/D.
TEAC 5V4" disk drive for Apple If
Vista Vision 80: 80 column card for std. Apple II
Vista 8" disk controller double side D/D.
APL-2E
APL-2ESK
ABT-13B
CCS-7710
CCS-7710B
CCS-7114
CCS-7720
CCS-7724
CCS-7729
CCS-7740
CAL-A16
HYS-MM2
KEN-SF1
MSF-SFTCD
MTN-TCLK
MTN-ADDA
MTN-RMF
MTN-ROMW
OMS-G2
SVA223
TEA-A2
VSA-VIS80
VSA-A800
ASCII
KEYBOARD
49
California Digilal has purchased
over 3000 o! Ihese Microswitch
keyboards from the General Dynamics Corporation, 93 ASCII encoded Hall eflect
switches Includes 8 function keys and 14 key nu
excelled value at only S49. MIC-93GD 5 lbs.
We also have available a matching General Dynamics
Non-encodedHytek58key melalconlactkeyboard F
numeric cluster S9.95. HIK-15 Both lor only S29.95,
ic cluster makelhis keyboard ai
el trim panel. $10.
256 KILOBYTE
MEMORY BOARD
<495
• 256 kilobytes 1 mc m r> using 6 4 K d y,ia m i c RAM . |
• Over one megabyte oi memory using the new
256K dynamic RAM chips.
• Error detaclion-trap capability.
• Individual 1 SK block can be relocated to any
boundiy within a megabyte of HAM.
• 24 bll addressing and phantom mode capability.
The California Digital 256K RAM board represents an outstanding value in S.-100 memory technology. Priced slighty above
earlier generation 64K dynamic ram boar J ~"
leature can be jumperecf to any ol the inti
addressing with memory management,
Proper operation with front panel equif
assured wilh an on the board Ml general!
delay lines lor proper operatton over the entire operatfng temperature range.
The board is very recent in design using ihe Nalional Semiconductor DP-B409 RAM Controller chip. Split termination
networks are used 00 all address lines, CAS tine, and RAS lines eliminating the last iraces of ringing The bo.ird
separale voltage regulators. One (or Ihe DRAMs and one tor [he interface logic increasing the noise immunity of the ram
array Typical power dissipation is 8 watts.
Documentation includes theory of operalion. contiguralion guide, a schematic, and appticalion notes on the use of the
memory management options CAL-256K 2 1 hs.
S-lOO BOARDS
16 BIT MICROPROCESSORS
Octagon dualCPU8088/Z80. & controller. OCT-88Z80 795 00
Godbout8086/8087microcomp. 16 bit. G8T-8687 495.00
Godbouldual processor 8085/8088. 8 /16.GBT-8588 359.00
SINGLE BOARD COMPUTERS
insignt EQ-4, 128K. 4 serial "not S-100" INS-ED4 595.00
Advanced Digital. Floppy & 64K AMD-Z80 750.00
. oS floppy. 64K. TEL-SMI 895 00
Teletek FDC- 1 single board . no memory TEL-F0C1 675.00
8 BIT MICROPROCESSORS
GodbO|yiZ80.24biieKtendedadd. G8T-Z80 250.00
California Computer ZBOmicroprocessor CCS-2810 275.00
Tarbell Z80 with two RS232 ports TAR-Z8Q 33900
FLOPPY DISK CONTROLLERS
GodboutOiskl.doubledensily GBT-0SK1 395.00
CalilorniaComputer2422AwithCPM CCS-2422 339.00
Morrow OiSk Jockey II with CPM 2.2 MDS-DJ2 350.00
Morrow Disk Jockey I with CPM. sgl. Oen. MDS-0J1 225.00
Tarbell EtectromcSdouble density TAR-DDC 419,00
TarbellElectfOnics single density TAR-SDC 279.00
fulcrum DMAOmniOisk. 1/0 to hard disk FCM-0D1 389.00
CPM OPERATING SYSTEM
Digital Research CP/M 3. 0,8"sgl. den DRC-CpM30 249.00
GodboijtCPM2.2forDisk1. G8T-CpM22 159.00
GodboutCPM86lor8088and8086 GBTCpM85 265.00
TarbellEIectronicsCPM2.2 TAR-CpM22 159 00
HARD DISK CONTROLLERS
Octagon hard disk controller with E/C. 0CT-HD1 475.00
GodbOJtDisk2.8"4 14'harddisk GBT-0SK2 569.00
GodboutDisk3.for5yVWmchesiers GBT-DSK3 Nov.
Morrow Oes'gns controller lor SVi" Win. MDS-W506 495.00
Western DipjtalnewWD-1001 (nol S-100) WDl-1001 495.00
EPROM BOARDS
Inner Access EPROM Bd. programs 27128 IAC-PIOO 465.00
Digital Research PR0Mbnard,32K OGR-P32 119.00
STATIC MEMORY BOARDS
GodboutRami6.64K 16 bildatauans. GBT-R16 459.00 I
Godboul Ram 17. 64K8bit24bitaddress GBT.R17 359 00
God1ioutRam2l, 128Kbyle8/16 Iransler GBT-R21 85900 f
Fjlcrum0mniRam8/16!ranslerbank FCM-R816 395
CalilOrniaComputer 2 1 1 6 . 8 bit only CCS-2116 249
DYNAMIC MEMORY BOARDS
California Digilal 256K expand lo 1 Meg. CAi-0256 495
CalifornlaComp 2066. 64K bank select CCS-2066 295,00 |
INTERFACE BOARDS
Godboul inierfacer I. 2 senalports GBT-133A 239.00 I
Godbojl Inlerfacer II. 1 serial 3 Dar'l ports GBT-150A 269.00
; : nrts GBT-I35A 495 00
Godboul Interlacer III. with 8 serial ports GBT-138A 585.00
Godbut Inlerfacer IV. 3 serial. 2 parallel GBT-187A 32f "
1 • . 10 J^rnlports CCS-2710 ?7< :
California Compu;: / par'i CCS-2719 29J __
California Computer 2720. 4 port pari CCS-2720 219.00
California Computer 2630. 6 port scfia! CCS-2830 429.00
Morrow Designs Multiboard. 3 S/2P MDS-MTL1 319 00 j
SPECIAL FUNCTION BOARDS
HayesS-IOOMicromodem. 300 baud. HYS-M100 325.00 |
QTComputerclock calendar, battery OTC-CC100 13!
Godbou1Systemsuppoitboard.4KEPR0MGBT-SYSi 350 00 I
GodboutSystemsupporl board. 9511 malhGBT-S9511 539.00 I
DualSystems, 4 channel 12 bit 0/Aconv. DSC-A0M12 619. Or
DualSystem 12 bit resolution, 32ch A/D 0SC-A1M12 629,00 I
MullinsDpto-Isolatoi. controls 8ch. MUL-IC8I0 179 00 I
Mullins extender board with togic 4 probe MUL-T84 79 00 [
I/O Technologywirewrap prototype IOT-W100 49.00
ArtecElectronicswirewrap prototype ART-VVW100 25.00
ArtecElectronicsgeneral purposesolder ART-GP100 2500
MAINFRAMES & MOTHER BOARDS
Eclipse Data, stainless. 22 slot EDP-100 695 00 |
GodboutEnclosure2.20slots G8T-MF2D 67!
CalilomiaComputer22O0, 12 slot CCS-2200 47!
California Digilal 18 slotmolher board CAL-M818 35
Godbottll2 slot mother Boardassembied GBT-M812 14£
CP/M SOFTWARE
AdaSoftCP/M ADA-445C 395.00
D-Base II
Wordstar
Mailmerge
Spellstar
Multiplan
Macro 80
ASH-015C 429.00
MPR-187C 309.00
MPR-392C 169.00
MPR-429C 169.00
MSF-483C 189.00
MSF-187C 139.00
Supersoft
MAC
CP/M 3.0
Despool
Pascal Plus
CP/M 86
MP/MII
MPR-309C 149.00
DGR-401C 85.00
DGR-410C 249.00
DGR-367C 45.00
DGR-004C 429.00
DGR-186C 239.00
DGR-208C 379.00
Shipping: First five pounds S3. 00, each additional pound S.50.
Cftroinnn^orc. lA^ chlnninn a v,* a <><> ...ill £,0 refunded.
CODs discouraged,
ed educational institu-
t Bradstreet" rating.
Retail location: 1 5608 Ingle wood Avenue, Lawndale 90260.
Additional Software available for Apple, IBM/PC and
Atari. Please telephone for price and availability.
TOLL FREE ORDER LINE
(800) 421-5041
TECHNICAL & CALIFORNIA
(213) 643-9001
DISKETTES For IBM PC
High qualtiy double-sided, double-density diskettes,
certified to be absolutely error free. Box often, warranteed
for one year
MMD-5220104 With FREE! plastic case
MMD-5220101 Verbatium Datalife .
$24.95
$34.95
CCESSORIES
for your IBM PC
QUADBOARD I— QUADRAM
Up to 256K RAM. serial port, parallel printer port, clock
calendar. RAM disk, and printer spooler software
MEX-41000A Quadboard wfo RAM $214.95
MEX-41064A 64K Quadboard $275.00
MEX-41256A 256K Ouadboard $399.95
QUADBOARD II— QUADRAM
Two serial ports, clock/calendar, memory expansion, and
Quadmaster software
MEM-40064A Ouadboard II. 64K
MEX-40256A Quadboard. 256K _
$275.00
. $399.00
QUADLINK— QUADRAM
Allows IBM PC to run Apple software, includes interface
card and software to allow your IBM PC to run both Apple
DOS and PC DOS
$485.00
CPX-50500A Quadlink
SIX PAK PLUS— AST
Up to 384K RAM. clock calendar with battery back-up.
serial port, parallel printer port, optional game port. Super
drive and super spool software included FREE!
MEX-38064A 64K. C.S.P $269.95
MEX-38256A 256K. C.S.P S489.95
For Game Port Option Add
. $39.95
MEGA PLUS— AST
Up to 512K RAM, clock calendar with battery back-up,
2 serial ports, parallel printer port, game port. Super
drive and superspool software included FREE!
MEX-51064A 64K. C.1 serial $269.95
MEX-51000S Second serial port option $39.95
MEX-51000P Printer port option $39.95
MEX-51000G Game port option $39.95
For Each Additional 64K RAM Add $49.95
COMBO PLUS II— AST
Up to 256K RAM. clock with battery back-up, serial port,
parallel port, superspool software included FREE!
MEX-25064A 64K.C.S.P $269.95
MEX-25256A 256K.C.S.P $419.95
I/O PLUS II— AST
Up to 2 serial ports, parallel printer port, game port, clock
calendar with battery back-up. Super drive and superspool
software included FREE!
IOI-7500A Clock & 1 serial port . . $129.95
IOI-7500P Printer port option $39.95
1OI-7500S Second serial port option $39.95
IO1-7500G Game port option $39.95
KEYTRONICS KEYBOARD
Similar to the IBM PC keyboard, but with all the keys in
the right places for word processing
KBE-45100 Keytronics/IBM $199.95
320K DISK DRIVES
Tandon TM-100-2 double-sided, double-density 320K
disk drive. Original equipment drive on IBM PC
MSM-551002 Full size Tandon
MSM-991004 Half-height 320K drive
MSM-660551 7"eac Hall-height
. $224.95
$199.95
_ $239.95
OKIDATA IBM KIT
Okidata's new plug-n-play ROMs for Oki 82, 83, 84. 92,
and 93 printers are fully IBM PC compatible! 412 ASCII
characters, full graphics, complete Epson emulation, and
near letter quality printing not available with Epson
HARD DISK For IBM PC
Hard disk with controller, software, and P/S
MSH-990205 5MB system
MSH-990210 10MB system
MSH-990215 15MB system
PRA-43086 Plug-n-play for 92
PRA-43087 Plug-n-play for 93
WCA-2536A IBM PC to Oki or Epson cable
PRA-43084 Plug-n-play for 82
PRA-43085 Plug-n-play for 83
PRA-43089 Plug-n-play for 84
. $49.95
. $49.95
. $32.95
. $39.95
$39.95
. $89.95
.$1395.00
. $1699.00
. $2199.00
NEC 3550 LETTER QUALITY
Only full IBM PC compatible letter qulaity printer
available— why settle for less!
SYSTEM CARD— MICROSOFT
From the authors of MS-DOS— up to 256K RAM, serial
port, parallel printer port, clock calendar, plus RAM drive
disk emulation, print spooler, time utilities, and terminal
emulation software, DOS 1.1 or 2.0 compatible
PRD-35501 NEC 3550 printer
. $1799.95
MEX-16064A 64K system card _
MEX-16256A 256K system card
. $279.95
. $429.95
64K RAM UPGRADE For IBM PC
High speed RAM upgrade kit with parity {error detection)
and one year warranty
MEX-64100K 64K kit for IBM PC $49.95
HI-RES COLOR MONITORS
Only the best Quadchrome or Princeton HX-12. 690 x 480
resolution. 16 brilliant colors, special 31mm dot pitch
tube, includes FREE 1 cable
VDC-241301 Ouadram Quadchrome $549.95
VDC-241401 Princeton Graphics HX-12 $529.95
AMDEK MONITORS
Full line of high quality monochrome and color video
monitors
VDM-801270 Video 310 Amber (IBM) $159.95
VDC-801320 Color II (RGB) $429.95
VDC-801330 Color III (RGB) $399.95
VDC-801340 Color IV (Analog RGB) $775.00
HERCULES GRAPHIC CARD
Two pages of ultra-high resolution text and graphics.
720 x 348. compatible with Lotus 123. Visicalc. dBASE II.
etc. Includes parallel printer port
IOV-5010A Hercules graphic card $359.95
QUADCOLOR I & QUADCOLOR II
Quadcolor I delivers standard IBM PC color and graphics,
add Quadcolor II and hi-resolution (640 x 200) color
graphics are possible
IOV-4010A Ouadcolor I basic board $234.95
IOV-4020A Quadcolor II add on $229.95
PLANTRONICS COLOR PLUS
Up to 16 colors, 80 characters, bi-planar technology.
includes parallel printer port
IOV-6010A Plantronics Color Plus ^___ $379.95
HAYES SMARTMODEMS
300 and/or 1200 baud direct connect, auto answer-auto
dial, pulse or touch tone, auto baud rate selection.
1200B is a plug-in board for IBM PC only and includes
Smartcom II FREE 1
IOM-5550A 1200B with Smartcom II .
IOM-5500A Smartmodem 1200
IOM-5400A Smartmodem 300
SFP-5500550M Smartcom II
. $399.95
. $475.00
. $199.95
_ $79.95
THE BEST SOFTWARE For IBM PC
We have taken the top rated programs and reduced
the price making them a super value
LOTUS 12 3 Best spreadsheet
SFP-24001020M Lotus 123 (1 A) $329.95
dBASE II Best Data base
SFP-11210100M Ashton-Tate dBASE II $429.95
CROSSTALK Best communications package
SFP53770100M MicroStuff Crosstalk $129.95
THE BEST MOUSE
From MouseSystems. Optical mouse with no moving
parts— nothing to wear out, includes software and is
compatible with all major software packages
SYX-14100A Mouse Systems mouse $249.95
MICROSOFT MOUSE
Mechanical mouse from the folks that wrote your
PC's operating system. Includes software and cables
SYX-16100A Microsoft mouse $149.95
PLACE ORDERS TOLL FREE!
Continental USA Inside California
(800) 421 -5500 (800) 262- 1710
542 BYTE January 1984
Los Angeles Area
(213)973-7707
for your APPLE
DISK DRIVE For APPLE
Totally Apple compatible, 143,360 bytes per drive on
DOS 3.3 full one year factory warranty, half-track
capability, reads all Apple software, plugs right into
Apple controller as second drive. DOS 3.3, 3.2.1
Pascal, & CP/M compatible
MSM-431010 Standard Disk II size $199.00
MSM-431030 Controller only $60.00
HALF-HEIGHT DRIVE For APPLE
Totally Apple compatible. Works with all Apple
software and controllers. Faster and quieter than most
other drives, yet only half the size!
MSM-581010 Half-height $199.95
DUAL 8-inch DISK DRIVES
Up to 2 Megabytes for your Apple, two double density
8 inch slimline disk drives, cabinet, power supply,
cable, controller, and software. Compatiblewith DOS,
CP/M, Pascal and IBM 3740 formats
1 MEGABYTE SUB SYSTEM
2 MEGABYTE SUB SYSTEM
.$1195.00
. $1395.00
GRAPPLER PLUS— Orange Micro
The ultimate parallel printer graphics interface card
with many new features, now at a new low price!
IOP-2300A Grappler Plus $119.95
BUFFERED GRAPPLER PLUS
Combines the flexibility of the Grappler + with the
convenience of the Bufferboard, all on a single board
IOP-2320A Buffered Grappler+ $175.00
IOP-2325A Buffered Grappler \ $225.00
BUFFERBOARD— Orange Micro
Add up to 20 pages of text output buffering to your
existing Grappler -I- board
IOP-2310A Bufferboard $135.00
ASIO— SSM/TRANSEND
RS232 serial I/O board for Apple, works with printers
or modems. 1 1 to 9600 baud. DOS. CP/M and Pascal
compatible
IOI-2052A ASIO $119.95
A488— SSM/TRANSEND
Allows Apple II, lie, II+ to operate as an inexpensive
IEEE 488/GPIB instrument controller. Comes with
cable
IOX-7488A A488 $339.95
8088 COPROCESSOR— PCPI
Similar in concept to Z80 cards for Apple, but uses
8088, the same microprocessor used in IBM PC.
Complete with MSDOS and M BASIC
CPX-88088A PCPI 8 8 card $459.95
FAN/POWER CENTER For APPLE
Cooling fan foryour overheated Apple II, II+, or lie;
a/so »nc/udes power switch and two switched outlets
with voltage protection circutry
SYA-1520A -4pp/e fan $59.95
NEW! MICROMODEM lie HAYES
The standard in direct-connect, plug-in modem cards
for Apple. 110-300 baud. Includes FREE Smartcom I
IOM-2000A Micromodem lie $529.00
KOALA PAD— KOALA TECH.
A touch sensitive pad that functions like a joystick or
mouse, allowing you to move the cursoraround the
screen with the touch of a finger. Complete with
software
SYA-1518A Koala Pad $99.95
SUPER DISKETTE SPECIAL!
We bought out a major manufacturer's overstock,
and we are passing the savings on to you! Singlesided
double density, package of ten FREE plastic case
MMD-5120103 Apple diskettes $18.95
CP/M 3.0 CARD For APPLE— ALS
The most powerful card available for your Apple!
6 MHz, Z-80B, additional 64K RAM, CP/M 3.0
plus, 100% CP/M 2.2 compatibility, C Basic, CP/M
gr aphics. 300% faster than any other CP/M for Apple
CPX-62810A ALS CP/M card $299.00
Z CARD For APPLE— ALS
Two computers in one, Z-80 and 6502, more than
doubles the power and potential of your Apple,
includes Z-80 CPU card, CP/M 2.2 and complete
manual set. Pascal compatible, tone year warranty
CPX-62800A A & T with CP/M 2.2 $139.00
PRINTER CARD & CABLE
For Apple. Standard Centronics parallel interface for
Epson, Okidata, C. Itoh, Gemini, NEC, Comrex, etc.
Includes printer cable and supports graphics
IOP-2100A Printer card & cable $49.95
80 COLUMN CARD
80 column x 24 line video card for Apple II addressable
25th status line, normal/inverse orhigh/low video. 128
ASCII characters, upper and lower case, 7 x 9 dot
matrix with true descenders, CP/M, Pascal and
Fortran compatible, 40/80 Hz, 40/60 column selection
from keyboard. Best 80 column card!
2 year warranty
IOV-2450A Viewmax 80 $139.95
IOV-2455A Visicalc/Easywriter Preboot $24.95
16K RAM CARD For APPLE II
Expand your Apple II 64K, use as language card, full
one year warranty. Why spend $175.00?
MEX-16700A Save over 115.00 $49.95
MICROFAZER— QUADRAM
The Microfazer stand-alone printer buffers are
available "in any configuration of serial or parallel
input, with serial or parallel output. All are expandable
up to 64K of memory (about 30 pages of 8V2 x 1 1 text);
the parallel-to-parallel version is expandable to 512K
Copy and pause feature included
Parallel/Parallel
$139.95
. $164.95
IOP-26008 8K List 169.00
IOP-26032 32K List 225.00
IOP-26128 128K List 445.00
Serial/ Parallel
IOP-27008 8K List 199.00 _
IOP-27032 32K
Parallel/Serial
IOP-29008 8K List 199.00 _
IOP-29032 32K
Serial/Serial
IOP-28008 8K List 199.00 _
IOP-28032 32K List 220.00 _
. $269.95
.$169.95
S1 99.95
. $169.95
S199.95
. $169.95
. $199.95
MICROBUFFER
PRACTICAL PERIPHERALS, INC
Stand-alone Mlcrobuffers
IOP-2500A Parallel. 32K
IOP-251 0A \ Parallel, 64K
IOP-2520A Serial. 32K _
IOP-2530A Serial. 64K _
IOP-2564K
stand alone microbuffer
64K add-on board
Mlcrobuffers for Apple II
IOP-2560A Parallel, 16K
IOP-2570A Parallel. 32K
IOP-2580A Serial. 16K _
IOP-2590A Serial, 32K _
_ $249.95
. $299.95
. $249.95
. $299.95
S179.00
. $199.95
. $249.95
. $199.95
. $249.95
DISPATCHER By ALS .
. IOI-1000A $99.95
Mlcrobuffers for Epson Printers
IOP-2540A Parallel, 16K
IOP-2550A Serial. 8K
.$139.95
. $139.95
Spring CATALOG
Circle 198 on inquiry card.
Better than free!
Just circle bingo card number
to receive your free catalog!
•£Ziter Products
4901
west Rosecrans Annus.
HaW thorne, California
90250
BYTE Tanuarv 1984 543
Computer Products
DISK DRIVES
S-100 BOARDS
QUANTITY LIMITED!
8080 CLOSE-OUT SPECIAL!
S-100 CPU Board with features / Problem Solvers Brand
• 2 serial ports, with handshaking, software selectable
baudrates
• On-board 2708 can be shadowed out!
• 8 level priority interrupt controller
• Real Time interrupt clock on-board
• tMSAt front panel connector on-board
• INCLUDES MANUAL AND SCHEMATIC
• For Technical types Sold "AS IS"
CPU-10000A ONLY S49.95
THREE BOARD SET— CCS
S-100 board setfeaturingZ80A cpu. 64K of high speed
RAM. serial I/O port, double-density disk controller for
5'/ d inch or 8-inch drives. FREE CP/M 2.2 on 8-inch disk
with full manual set. all necessary diagnostic and control
software. All boards are assembled and tested with full
factory warranty
SPECIAL PACKAGE $694.95
64K STATIC RAM— JADE
Uses new 2K x 8 static RAMs, fully supports IEEE 696
MEM-99152B Bare board $49.95
MEM-99152K Kit less RAM $89.95
MEM-32152K 32K kit $169.00
MEM-56152K 56K kit $225.00
MEM-64152K o4K kit _ $265.00
Assembled & Tested add $30.00
EXPANDORAM III
High density memory board. 64K. 128K or 256K
MEM-65064A 6*K $398.95
Priced Too Low To Advertise!
S-100 BOARDS ON SALE!
COMPUPRO, SD SYSTEMS,
CCS, MULLEN, ADC &
JADE COMPUTER
WE WILL TRY TO BEAT ANY
ADVERTISED PRICE IN THIS
MAGAZINE!
ISOBAR
The ISOBAR looks like a standard multi-outlet power
strip, but contains surge suppression circuitry and
built-in noise filters, plus a 15amp circuit breaker
EME-115105 4 receptacle __ $59.95
EME-115100 8 receptacle $69.95
DOUBLE D— JADE COMPUTER
High reliability, double density disk controller
IOD-1200B Bare board & hdwr man $59.95
IOD-1200K Kitw/hdwr&sftwrman $299.95
IOD-1200A A & T w/hdwr & sftwr man $325.00
SFC-59002001I : CP/M 2.2 with Double D $99.95
THE BUS PROBE
Best selling inexpensive S-100 diagnostic analyzer
TSX-200B Bare board $59.95
TSX-200K Kit
TSX-200A A & T .
. $179.95
. $199.95
MEM-65128A 128K
MEM-65192A 192K
MEM-65256A 256K
. $464.95
. $524.95
. $589.95
I/0-4 SSM MICROCOMPUTER
Two serial I/O ports plus two parallel I/O ports
IOI-1010A A & T $245.00
ISO BUS— JADE COMPUTER
Silent, simple and on SALE! A better motherboard
6 Slot (5%" x 8%") 19 MHz
MBS-061B Bare board $22.95
MBS-061K Kit $39.95
MBS-061A A & T $49.95
SBC-200 SD SYSTEMS
4 MHz Z-80A CPU with serial and parallel I/O
CPU-30200A A & T $339.95
VERSAFLOPPY II— SD SYSTEMS
Double density disk controller for 5'/ 4 " and 8"
IOD-1160A A & T with PROM $344.95
_ $349.95
$80.00
IOD-1170A Versafloppy 11/696 A & T
SFC-55009047F CP/M 3.0 with VF-II _
72 Slot (9%" x 8%") 1 70 MHz
MBS-121B Bare board .
MBS-121K Kit
MBS-121A A & T
18 Slot (Uy 2 " x 8%") 6MHz
MBS-181B Bare board
MBS-181K Kit
MBS-181A A & T
_ $34.95
_ $69.95
_ $89.95
_ $54.95
_ $99.95
. $139.95
THE BIG Z— JADE
2 or 4 MHz switchable Z-80 CPU board with serial I/O
CPU-30200B Bare board w /manual $35.00
CPU-30201K Kit w I manual $179.95
CPU-30201A A& T $199 OO
ULTRA-VIOLET EPROM ERASERS
Inexpensive erasers for industry or home
XME-3100 .Spectronics w/o timer $69.50
XME-3101 Spectronics with timer $94.95
XME-3200 Logical Devices $49.95
5V4 inch DISK DRIVES
TANDON TM 100-1 SS DD 48 TPI
MSM-551001 $225.00 ea 2 for $195.00 ea
SHUGARTSA400L SS DD 48 TPI
MSM-104000 $209.00 ea 2 for $199.95 ea
TANDON TM 100-2 DS DD 48 TPI
MSM-551002 $229.00 ea 2 for $225.00 ea
MPI B52 DS DD 48 TPI can be substituted for CDC
MSM-1 55200 $275.00 ea 2 for $270.00 ea
MPI B51 SS DD48TPI
MSM-155100 $209.00 ea 2 for $199.00 ea
MPI B91 Single sided, Quad Density 96 TPI
MSM-155300 $285.00 ea 2 for $275.00 ea
MPI B92 Double sided Quad density 96 TPI
MSM-155400 $400.00 ea 2 for $390.00 ea
51/4" CABINETS/POWER SUPPLY
END-000216 Single cab w I power supply $69.95
END-000226 Dual cab wl power supply $85.00
8 inch DISK DRIVES
SIEMENS FDD 100-8 Single sided, double density
MSF-201120 $179.00 ea 2 for $175.00 ea
SHUGART SA 801R Single sided, double density
MSF-10801R $355.00 ea 2 for $349.00 ea
SHUGART SA-851R Double sided, double density
MSF-10851R $459.00 ea 2 for $455.00 ea
OUME DT-8 Double sided, double density
MSF-750080 $479.00 ea 2 for $459.00 ea
TANDON TM 848-1 SS DD thin-line
MSF-558481 $369.00 ea 2 for $359.00 ea
TANDON TM 848-2 DS DD thin-line
MSF-558482 $439.00 ea 2 for $435.00 ea
NEC FD1165 DS DD thin-line
MSF-851165 $450.00 ea 2 for $440.00 ea
NEC FD1164 SS DD thin-line
MSF-851164 $360.00 ea 2 for $350.00 ea
DISK SUB-SYSTEMS JADE
Handsome metal cabinet with proportionally
balanced air flow system, rugged dual drive power
cable kit. power switch, line cord, fuse holder, cooling
fan, nevermar rubber feet, all necessary hardware to
mount two 8-inch disk drives, power supply, and fan,
does not include signal cable
Dual 8" Sub-Assembly Cabinet
END-000420 Bare cabinet $49.95
END-000421 Cabinet kit $199.95
END-000431 A & T $249.95
0" Sub-Systems— Slngal Sided, Double Density
END-000423 Kit w/2 Siemens FD100-8Ds _ $579.00
END-000424 A & T w/2 Siemens FD100-8DS $595.00
END-000433 Kit w/2 Shugart SA-801 Rs $939.00
END-000434 A & T w/2 Shugart SA-801 Rs $969.00
0" Sub-Systems— Double Sided, Double Density
END-000426 Kit w/2 Qume DT-8s $1229.00
END-000427 A & T w/2 Qume DT-8s $1249.00
END-000436 Kit w/2 Shugart SA-851 Rs -$1199.00
END-000437 A & T w/2 Shugart SA-851 Rs $1219.00
DUAL SLIMLINE SUB-SYSTEMS
Dual 8-Inch Slimline Cabinet
END-000820 Bare cabinet $59.95
END-000822 A & T w/o drives $164.95
Dual 8-Inch Slimline Subsystems
END-000843 Kit w/2 SS DD drives $869.00
END-000844 A & T w/2 SS DD drives $879.00
END-000845 Kit w/2 DS DD drives $1060.00
END-000846 A & T w/2 DS DD drives $1099.00
DISK DRIVE POWER SUPPLY
Sufficient current to power up to three 8" drives
PSD-206A List Price 149.00 $89.95
We accept cash, checks, credit cards, or purchase orders from qualified firms and institutions.
Prices quoted are for prepaid orders only and are subject to change without notice.
Minimum prepaid order $15.00 California residents add 6 1 / 2 % tax. Export customers outside
the U.S. or Canada please add 10% to all prices. Shipping and handling charges via
UPS Ground 50<J7lb UPS Air $1 .00/lb minimum charge $3.00
544 BYTE January 1984
Circle 199 on inquiry card.
PRINTERS
MODEMS
(DHayesr
SMARTMODEM— HAYES
Sophisticated direct-connect auto-answer/auto-dial
modem, touch tone orpulsedialing. RS232C interface
programmable
IOM-5500A Smartmodem 1200 $475.00
IOM-5550A 1200B for IBM PC $399.95
IOM-5400A Smartmodem 300 _
IOK-1500A Hayes Cronograph
IOM-1100A Micromodem 100 „
IOM-2000A Micromodem lie
$199.00
_ $199.00
$349.00
$259.00
1200 BAUD SMART CAT
NOVATION
103/212 Smart Cat and 103 Smart Cat. 1200 and 300
baud, built-in dialer, auto re-dial if busy, auto answer/
disconnect, direct connect. LED readout displays
mode analog/digital loopback self tests, usable with
multi-line phones
IOM-5241A 300 Baud 103 Smart Cat $229.95
IOM-5251A 7200 Baud 212/103 Smart Cat $549.95
J-CAT MODEM— NOVATION
1/5 the sizeof ordinary modems. Bell 103. manual or
auto-answer, automatic answer/orginate. direct
connect, built-in self-test, two LEDs and audio beeps
provide status information
IOM-5261A Novation J-Cat $119.00
SMART BUY IN MODEMS
SIGNALMAN
Direct connect, low cost, high quality, and state-of-
the-art features. Includes FREEL subscription to the
Source
MARK I Universal 300 baud,
snswerse/ecfron. RS232C
IOM-5600A 300b RS-232
automatic originate/
$79.95
MARK VI 300 Baud for IBM PC. auto-answer,
auto-dial, plug-in modem board with full com-
munications software included FREE!
IOM-5630A 300 Baud IBM card $159.95
MARK VII Universal 300 baud, auto-answer, auto-
dial RS-232 modem
IOM-5610A Deluxe RS-232 300b $149.95
NEW! MARK XII New Universal 1200 Baud auto-
answer, auto-dial modem with all the popularfeatures
of the Hayes Smartmodem 1200
IOM-5620A 72006 deluxe modem $399.95
EPSON PRINTERS
SAVE At Least $ 1 50.00!
CALL US FOR THE BEST DEAL ON THE WORLDS
BEST SELLING LINE OF PRINTERSl
EPSON RX-80 700 CPS w/tractor, graphics
PRM-29082 A 499.00 Value, Save 200.00 _ $299.95
EPSON RX-80FT 700 CPS with FREE graphics
PRM-29084 Friction & tractor feed _ SAVE $150.00
EPSON MX-80FT 80 CPS with FREE graphics
PRM-28082 Friction & tractor feed _ SAVE $150.00
EPSON MX-100 700 CPS 75" platten
PRM-28100 Friction & tractor SAVE $150.00
EPSON FX-80 760 CPS with FREE graphics
PRM-29080 Friction & tractor feed _ SAVE $150.00
EPSON FX-100 760 CPS 75" platten
PRM-29100 Friction & tractor feed _ SAVE $150.00
OKIDATA— MICROLINE 92 & 93
160 CPS, true correspondence quality printing, full
graphics. IBM PC compatible (optional), handles
single sheet as well as fan-fold paper, professional
design construction and quality
PRM-43092 Oki 92 parallel List 699.00 $479.95
PRM-43093 Oki 93 parallel List 1199.00 $795.95
PRA-43181 2K serial board $115.00
PRA-43086 IBM PC ROMS for 92 $49.95
PRA-43087 IBM PC ROMS (or 93 $49.95
PRA-43080 Extra ribbon (2) . $9.95
PRA-43088 Tractor for Oki 92 $54.95
MICROLINE 82, 83, & 84
120 CPS (82. 83) 200 CPS (84), industr
printers, serial and parallel interfaces, true
descenders, handles single-sheet as well
PRM-43082 Oki 82 List Price 599.95
PRM-43083 Oki 83 wl FREE) tractor
PRM-43084 Oki 84 parallel List $1399.00
PRM-43085 Oki 84 serial List 1499.00 _
PRA-43081 2K serial board _
PRA-43080 Extra ribbons 82/92, 83/93 .
PRA-43088 Tractorfor Oki 82
PRA-43180 Ribbons 83, 84, 93
y standard
lowercase
as fan fold
. $379.95
. $625.95
. $925.00
. $995.00
. $159.95
$9.95
_ $54.95
$9.95
GEMINI 10X & 15X
Star Micronics— up to 120 CPS, full graphics, friction
and tractor feed. Epson FX-80 compatible
PRM-66010 Gemini 10X SAVE $150.00
PRM-66015 Gemini 15X SAVE $150.00
PRA-66200 Serial board, G-10. G-15 $69.00
PRA-66202 Serial board, G-10X. G-15X $55.00
PRA-66206 10X, 15X 4K serial $109.00
NEW! DELTA 10
160 CPS. up to 16K buffer, serial and parallel inter-
faces, graphics friction and tractor, FX-80 compatible
PRM-66120 Save $150.00
COMREX CR-II
Best buy in letter quality printers. NEW! from Comrex!
full featured letter quality printer, FREE! 5K buffer,
logic seeking bi-directional printing, boldface
proportional spacing, double-strike, backspace,
underline, true super script and sub script, drop in
daisy wheel cartridge
PRD-11101 CR-II parallel $495.00
PRD-11102 CR-II serial __ $589.95
$99.95
$189.95
$179.95
PRA-11100 Tractor option __
PRA-99700 Cut sheet feeder
PRA-11115 Keyboard option
SILVER REED EXP-550
Economical daisy wheel printer with 200 words per
minute (18 CPS). full 15-inch platen, Diablo 630
protocol. 10. 12.15 pitch or proportional printing. Very
quiet, very reliable; a bargain in the under $1000. letter
quality printer market
PRD-52001 Para//e/, List 895.00 $669.00
PRD-52002 Serial, List 995.00 $775.00
PRA-52000 Tractor. List 159.95 $129.00
MONITORS
AMDEK MONITORS
Full line of high quality monochrome and color video
monitors
VDM-801270 Video 310 Amber (IBM)
VDM-801260 Video 300 Green
VDM-801265 Video 300 Amber
VDC-801310 Color-I (composite)
VDC-801320 Color-ll (RGB) .
VDC-801325 Color-ll plus (analog RGB) .
VDC-801330 Color III (RGB)
VDC-801340 Color IV (analog RGB)
VDA-80990 DVM-2 (Apple ll/lh )
VDA-809901 DVM-80E (Apple He)
.__ $159.00
_ $135.95
_ $149.95
_ $289.95
_ $429.95
_ $439.95
— $399.95
_ $775.95
_ $129.95
„ $139.95
BEST MONITORS AVAILABLE!
Ultra-high resolution, up to 22 MHz, 1000 lines per
inch, amber or green phoshpor, FREE! tilt and swivel
base, US manufacturer
VDM-881220 72" green 22 MHz .
VDM-881210 72" amber 22 MHz .
VDM-880920 9" green 18 MHz _
VDM-880910 9" amber 18 MHz _
$149.95
. $149.95
. $139.95
.$139.95
12-inch GREEN— ZENITH
15 MHz, 40 or 80 column
VDM-201201 72" green
. $94.95
STARWRITER F10
High speed letter quality printer. 40 CPS daisywheel.
Extensive built-in word processing functions, up to 15
inch paper width. Uses standard Diablo style print-
wheels .
PRD-22010 F10/parallel .
.$1125.00
MANNESMAN-TALLY
Spirit 80 CPS 10" parallel .
160L 760 CPS 10"
180L 760 CPS 75"
— PRM-32100 $329.00
__ PRM-32161 $588.00
_PRM-32181 $828.00
Place Orders Toll Free!
Continental U.S.A.
(800)421-5500
Circle 199 on inquiry card.
Inside California
(800)262-1710
Los Angeles Area
(213)973-7707
BYTE January 1984 545
NUMBER ONE IN SELECTION — NUMBER
TAX/NY
AMDER & GREEN
$129 $119
12" MONITORS
For complete specifications, see page 24 of our
New '83/'84 Engineering Selection Guide.
Part Number Description List Price SALE Price
BATAXKG12N
BATAXKG12NUY
Green Screen (Sh. Wt. 18 lbs.) $179 00 $119.00
Amber Screen (Sh Wt. 18 lbs.) $189.00 $129.00
SAVE ON RGB MONITORS, TOO!
BATAXRGBI Medium Resolution (30 lbs) S399.00 $329.00
BATAXRGB3 Super-High Resolution (30 lbs) S699.00 §569.00
BATAXRGB420 IBM - " Styling Hi-Res RGB (30 lbs) S69900 §569.00
NEW!
POWER TYPE
18CPSDAISYWHEEL
PRINTER
MANNESMANN
TALLY
$499.00
• Parallel and Serial Interface • Four Print Sizes
• Wheels and Ribbons are QUME Compatible
• Selector Switches for Columns,
Line Spacing and Paper Length
BASTRPOWERTYPE Daisywheel Printer (Sh. wt 22 lbs.) $499.00
Letter Quality
Dot Matrix Printer
For complete specifications, see page 41 of our
New '83/' 84 Engineering Selection Guide
• 160 cps • 40 cps (Letter Quality)
• Serial & Parallel Interface • Double wide characters
• Tractor and friction feed • "Bullet- Proof cast
frame with metal cabinet
Not f he Cheapest —
Just the Best Dollar Value!
BATALMTI60L 80 column / 160 cps (21 lbs.) $589.00
BATALMT180L 132 column / 160 cps (28 lbs.) $829.00
BATALMTRIB160 Replacement RibbonforMT160L(1 Jb.) $ 15.75
BATALMTRIB180 Replacement Ribbon for MT1 80L(1 lb.) $ 17.80
GmpuPro Jhe World's Largest Dealer
v — c — of S- 1 00 Boards
CPU BOARDS
List Price Sale Price
SDSystems
Ust Price Sale Price
BAGBT51068
BAGBT51568
BAGBT51086
BAGBT51586
BAGBT51067
BAGBT51567
BAGBT51080
BAGBT51580
BAGBT51060
BAGBT51560
CPU 68K A&T 8MHz
CPU 68K CSC 10MHz
Co- Processor w/8086 only
Co- Processor w/8086 only
CPU 8086/8087 A&T
CPU 8086/8087 CSC
CPU 8085/88 A&T
CPU 8085/88 CSC
3/6MHz CPU-Z A&T
3/6MHz CPU-Z CSC
S 695 00
S 850.00
A&T$ 750.00
CSC$ 850.00
S105000
St 15000
S 495.00
$ 595.00
$ 325.00
$ 425.00
$ 595.00
$ 765.00
$ 675.00
$ 765.00
$ 939.00
$1065.00
$ 389.00
$ 497.87
$ 279.00
$ 347.87
BASDS38095
BAS0S38092
BAS0S38007
BASDS38088
BAS0S38089
SBC-300 4MHzZ80ACPUA&T$ 74100$ 619.
SBC-300 6MHz Z80B CPU A&TS 825 00 $ 689.
DISK CONTROLLER BOARDS
BAPDB171ACPM DISK 1 (A&h w/CP/M 2 2 S67O00 $469.00
When purchased with two 8" disk drives: $450.00
BAGBT54D18
BAG8T41000
BAGBT41050
BAGBT54025
DISK I Floppy controller (A&T) $495.00 $425.00
CP/M" 22 lor Z80/8085 $148.95
w/manuals& BIOS. 8" S/D Disk
CP-M-86" for CPU 8085/88 $249.00
& CPU 8086/87 CPUs
w/manuals. BIOS 8" S/D Disk
DISK 2 8" hard disk controller S795 00 $725.00
w/CP/M- 2 2 (A&T)
DISK 3 ST-506 type 5%" hard $795.00 $725.00
disk controller w/CP/M-SO" &
CP/M-86' (A&T)
BASDS38097
BASDS38076
BAS0S38082
BASDS3BD81
BAS0S3BD96
BASDS38093
BASDS38094
BAS0S38099
I/O BOARDS
BAGBT5601Q System Support 1 Multifunction $450.00 $375.00
l/D (A&TI
BAGBT56010/56531 SSI w/8231 Math Chip A&T $645.00 $570.00
BAGBT56010/56320 SSI w/8232 Math Chip A&T $645 00 $570.00
BAGBT53030 Intertacer 3 - 8 port serial (A&T) S699.00 $599.00
BAGBT53040 interlaced - 3 Serial, 1 Centron- $450 00 $389.00
ics Parallel. 1 Parallel (A&T)
Z80 Starter System A&T $ 450 00 $ 399,
ExpandoRAM IV 256K A&T S1 145.00$ 975.
ExpandoRAM IV 256K S1990 00 $1675.
w/EDC A&T
ExpandoRAM 111/696 256K $ 825 00 $ 749.
PROM- 100 w/software A&T $ 285 00 $ 219.
RAM Disk 256K A&T $ 875.00 $ 775,
ROM Disc 128K A&T $ 350.00$ 319,
1/0-8 4-Port Async Ser. A&T $ 600.00 $ 549.00
1/0-8 8- Port Async Ser A&T S 695.00 $ 589.00
1/0-8 4 Sync. 4 Async. 8-Port S 795 00 S 699.00
Serial 1/0 A&T
Versafloppy III Floppy & ST-506 S 895 00 S 759.00
Hard Disk Controller
BAPDBVF339145* w/5V<" unbanked CP/M" 30 $1083.00 $ 888.00
BAPDBVF339146* w/8" unbanked CP/M*' 3 $1083 00 $ 888.00
BAP0BVF339147* w/5V banked CP/M* 3.0 $1083 00 $ 868.00
BAP0BVF339148* w/8" banked CP/M* 3.0 $1083.00 $ 888.00
BASDS38093 Versafloppy 11/696 (A&T) S 400.00 $ 344.00
BAP0BVF23914r w/5'/a" unbanked CP/M* 3.0 $ 588.00 $ 424.00
BAP0BVF239142* w/8" unbanked CP/M"' 3.0 $ 588 00 $ 424.00
BAP0BVF239143*w/5V banked CP/M® 3.0 $ 588.00 $ 424.00
BAPDBVF239144* w/8" banked CP/M 1 ' 3.0 $ 588.00 $ 424.00
*CP/M-Plus" (3 0) configured for the SBC-300
See Complete Specifications on Pages 12-25
Of Our '83/'84 Engineering Selection Guide
MACROTKCH International Corp.
S-100 Boards
See Page 1 6 Of Our New '83/' 84 Engineering Selection
Guide for Complete Specifications
Ordering Information: The 256 K and 384 K versions include the lully
socketed Host card. The 512 K and larger versions also include the fully
socketed "piggy-back" card. List Price Sale Price
$1125.00 $1165.00
$1467.00 $1395.00
$1880.00 $1795.00
$2442.0? $2325.00
BAMACMAX256 256K Dynamic RAM (A&T)
BAMACMAX3B4 384 Dynamic RAM (A&T)
BAMACMAX512 5 12 K Dynamic RAM (A&T)
BAMACMAXM 1 MEG Dynamic RAM (A&T)
BAMACMAXTM MAX Technical Manual $ 15.00
BAMACMAXVDSKMAX Virtual Disk Software supplies $ 25.00
on 8" S/D Disk
BAMACM3 Memory Mapping Option $ 91.00
Attention CompuPro CPU 8085/88 Users: You must order the CPU
modification hardware to insure complete compatibility.
BAMACGBTH00 Hardware modilication for
CompuPro CPU 8085/88
$ 10.00
BANCP1302
BAMCP1303
8AMCP1304
BATNDTM501
BATNQTM502
BATNDTM503
BAIIIHD5002
DISK DRIVES
5Y4 Hard Bisk sale price
Micropolis 20 4/25 9 Mb ( 1 2 lbs.) $1465.00
Micropolis 33.9/43.2 Mb (12 lbs.) $1875.00
Micropolis 40.8/51.9 Mb (12 lbs.) $2195.00
Tandon 6 Mb (9 lbs.) $ 749.00
Tandon t2 Mb (9 lbs.) $895.00
Tandon 19 Mb (9 lbs.) $1049.00
Dual Hard Disk Enclosure $ 395.00
Qoctagon
BOARD LEVEL PRODUCT
8/16 BIT MEMORY BOARDS
8AGBT520I6
BA&BT52021
BAGBT52022
BAGBT52012
BAGBT1200
BAGBT1250
RAM 16 12MHz 32 K Static A&1S 550 00$ 495.00
HAM 21 12 MHz 128K Static A&TS 995.00$ 895.00
RAM 22 12MHz 256K Static A&TS1750 00 $1549.00
M-Dnve/H 51 2K RAM Disk AS i S1475.00 $1195.00
BADCTCPU816 8/16 Bit SBC (A&T)
BA0CT8087NDP 8087 for CPU 8/16
BA0CTCPM86 CP/M-86*
BA0CTC0NCPM86Concurrent CP/M-86^
BADCTMPM86 MP/M-86'
S 895 00$ 795.00
$ 300.00
$ 150.00
$ 195.00
$ 495.00
MAINFRAMES
20 Slot Desk Top (A&T)
20 Slot Rack Mount (A&T)
S925.00 $795.00
$975.00 $850.00
For more CompuPro Specifications
see pages 2-33 of our New Catalog
Manufactured by Vector Electronic Co. under license from CompuPro
BAVCT8800SFB lnterf;icer I 2- Serial (A&T) 5295.00 $219.00
BAVCT8800GF2B Interfaces ? 3-Par.. 1-Ser (A&T) S325 00 $239.00
BAVCT88D0ER17BRAM 17 64 K 10MH/ $45000 $389.00
Static RAM (A&TI
BA0CTHDC ST-506 Hard Disc Controller $ 595 00 $ 525.00
BADCTH0SUBI9 19.2Mb Hard Disc Subsystem $2295 .00 $ 195.00
BA0CTS256T0D 256K Static RAM (A&T) S185000 $1719.00
BADCTD512K 512K Dynamic RAM (A&T) S1450 00 $1345.00
See Specifications on Pages 12-27
Of Our '83/84 Engineering Selection Guide
COMPLETE OCTAGON 8/16'" SYSTEMS
BA0CT816SMPMW/256K Static RAM & MP/M-86" S7350.D0
BA0CTB16SCPM w/256K Static RAM & Concurrent CP/M-86 S7350.00
BADCT8l60MPMw/512K Dynamic RAM & MP/M-86 $7350.00
BADCT8160CPM W/5I2K Dynamic RAM & Concurrent $7350.00
CP/M-86
See Complete Specifications on Page 5 Of Our
New '83/84 Engineering Selection Guide
5 A A" Floppy Disk Drives
BAMPI51* MPI Full Height SS 48TPI (5 lbs.1 $200.00
BAMPI52* MPI Full Height DS 48TPI (5 lbs) $270.00
BAMPI91* MPI Full Height SS 96TPI (5 lbs.) $275.00
BAMPI92* MPI Full Height DS 96TPI (5 lbs.) $400.00
BAMPI501 MPI V?-Height SS 48TPI (4 lbs) $280.00
BAMPI502 MPI ?-Height DS 48TPI (4 lbs ) $300.00
BAMPI901 MPI ^-Height SS 96TPI (4 lbs.) $300.00
BAMPI902 MPI V?- Height DS 96TPI (4 lbs) $355.00
BATNDTM1001 TAndon Full Height SS 48TPI $225.00
BATN0TM1002 Tandon Full Height DS 48TPI $260.00
BATNDTM1014 Tandon Full Height DS 96TPI $390.00
* Replace with M for MPI Door, or S for Shugart SA400 Type D
6" Floppy Disk Drives
BASHUB01R Shugart Full Height SS (18 lbs.) $369.00
BASHU851R Shugart Full Height DS (18 lbs.) $525.00
BA0MEOT8 Oume Full Height DS (18 lbs) $475.00
BAMITM289463B Mitsubishi Full Height DS (18 lbs.) $380.00
BAMPI415 MPI Full Height SS (11 lbs) $380.00
BAMPI425 MPI Full Height DS (11 lbs.) $480.00
BAMPI410 MPI Dual Vi-Height SS (22 lbs) $760.00
BAMPI420 MPI Dual '/.-Height DS (22 lbs.) $830.00
BAMPI41M MPI ^-Height SS (9 lbs.) $380.00
BAMPI42M MPI VHeight DS (9'lbs.) $460.00
BATN0TM8481 Tandon VH eight SS (9 lbs.) $395.00
BATN0TMB482 Tandon '^-Height DS (9 lbs) $495.00
H ORDER TOLL FREE (800) 420-5922 - CA, AK, HI CALL (210) 709-51 1 1
ONE IN PRICE — NUMBER ONE IN SERVICE
m tjnagffl DUAL TRACE SCOPES
■■':■ . :
■ !
5 YEAR WAMANTYii
,- i . *. ;
NEW LOWER PRICES!
FOR COMPLETE SPECIFICATIONS ON HITACHI OSCILLOSCOPES,
SEE PAGES 82 & 83 IN OUR '83/'84 ENGINEERING SELECTION GUIDE
20MHz
Low Profile
BAHITV222 List Price: $695.00
SALE PRICE:
40MHz with
Deloy Line
BAHITV422 List Price; $895.00
SALE PRICE:
60MHz with
Trigger View
BAH1TV650F List Price: $1195.00
SALE PRICE:
100MHz Deloyed Sweep/
Quod Troce
BAHITV1050F List Price: $1595.00
SALE PRICE:
$595.00 $749.00 $995.00 $1395.00
(Shipping Weight: 17 lbs.)
(Shipping Weight: 17 lbs.)
(Shipping Weight: 31 lbs.)
(Shipping Weight 31 lbs.)
,.fe
SOLA
Uninterruptable |
Power System
For more specifica-
tions, see page 94 ot
our New 83/84
Engineering Selection
Guide.
A mini U PS goes one step further than aminicomputer regulator. It provides
the same voltage, noise, and brownout protection plus maintains power to
keepequipment running smoothly during a blackout Whenapowerfailure
occurs, the internal maintenance free battery continues powering the
inverter without the use of any switching devices. This provides uninter-
rupted, conditioned AC power to the critical load.
PORTABLE 120VAC 60Hz
UNINTERRUPTABLE POWER SYSTEMS
Mx. Out. Dimensions Approx. PRICE
Pari Number VA rating/ HiWiD Shipping List SALE
Time Weight
BASLA260050400301 400/20mm 12x19x11
BASLA260050750300 750/10min 12x19x11
95I0S S1617.00 $1406.00
125 lbs. S1 722.00 $1497.00
BASLA401751BA0Add-onbaUery pack (120 lbs.) $1014.00 $882.00
"The Micro/Mini Computer Ultra Isolated Regulator provides instantaneous
voltage regulation, and ultra isolation from both transverse and common
mode noise for any type of load. It is particulary applicable in systems
involving mini or microcomputers, P0S equipment, industrial control
equipment, or data terminals.
MINICOMPUTER REGULATORS
With Line Cord
BASLA6313070
BASLA6313114
BASU6313125
BASLA6313150
BASLA63I3I75
BASIA8313210
BASLA6313220t
70
140
250
500
750
1000
2000
I2x 6x 6
12x 6x 6
14x 8x 8
17x 9x 9
I7x 9x 9
17x 9x 9
17x11x11
lOlbs.S 192.05 $ 159.00
18lbsS 251.85 $ 209.00
31 lbs S 30015 $ 249.00
47lbsS 416.30 $349.00
60lbs S 530 15 $ 439.00
75lbsS 614 10 $ 519.00
108lbs.$1044.20 $ 889.00
tllnit Is supplied with 30 amp twist type plug and receptacles.
^== AC SURGE PROTECTORS
-- — FOR YOUR COMPUTER
THE LEMON™ SOURS SURGES f
8AEP0LEM0N 6 outlet wall mount
8AEP0LIME 6 outlet 4 V/ cord
. w/power switch
Us! Price Our Price
S5995 $44.95
$89.50 $69.95
EMI-RR FILTERED AC SURGE PROTECTOR
8AEP00RAN6E 6 outlet 4 V cord S139.95 $104.95
wipower switch
flA£P0P£ACH 3 outlet wall mount S 97 50 $ 74.95
(Shipping werghl on above items 4 lbs each)
AC POWER UNE MONITOR/ SURGE PROTECTOR
BAEFOHAWK (Sh. Wl 6 lbs) $195.00 $149.00
SPECIAL PURCHASE
DISKETTES!!
&TDK
8" DOUBLE DENSITY
ATARI & COMMODORE
PLUG AND RUN PRINTERS!
Complete with Built-in Interface Cablesl
8ATDKF1S
SINGLE
SIDED
BATDKF2D
DOUBLE
SIDED
$19.95
1 PER BOX OF 10
$29.95
1 PER BOX OF 10
BAAXMAT100A For ATARI (Sh. Wt 1 1 lbs.)
BAAXMCD100A For COMMODORE (11 lbs.)
BAAXMGP100A 30 cps; 80 col. dot matrix printer (11 lbs.) $199.00
Parallel Interlace
1200 BAUD MODEM SALE
(j5)
U.S.
ROBOTICS
AUTO DIAL/
AUTO ANSWER
SOFTWARE!
D.C HAYES
For more details on
Modems, see pages
38 A 39 of our
New Catalog.
List Price SALE Price
Part Number Description
BAPOBPASSTEIB Password Mnd.tm w/Com- S5?8 00 $398.00
mnniuhon Softw.oe 8" CP/M"
BAPDBPASSTFI5 P.issv.nn! Modern w/Com- S528 00 $398.00
munication Software 5' w" Apple
BAPDBASIALTELB Auto Dwf 21 ?A Modern SH78 00 $495.00
w/Coi'!iiuirin:;itini: Sofiwarf 1 8" CP/M"
BAPDBADIALTEL5 At.lo Dial ?1?A M(xlem S678 00 $495.00
w/Commnmc-ilion software 5V Applp
BAPDB5100TELB S 10 Modem ChuI w operating S5?8 00 $398.00
software im 8" CP M " diskette
Part Number Description
0ADCH0400P
BA0CH0200P
BADCH0300P
BADCHDtOOP
BA0CH000P
8ADCH1200B
Ust Price SALE Price
1 200 Baud Smartmodem
300 Baud Smartmodem
Chronograph
MiCroModem 100
MicroModei'^ II
IBM- PC" Modem card
S695.00
S279.00
S249.00
S399.00
S379.00
S599 00
$514.95
$229.00
{199.00
J349.00
?299.00
J499.00
RIXON
1200 Baud Direct Connect w/10 Number Memory
BARIXR212A
BARIXPC212A
BARIXPCC0M1
BAP0BRIX1BM
1200 Baud Stand Alone unit S495.00 $449.00
1200 IBM PC modem (2 lbs.) S495 00 $449.00
IBM PC"* Modem Soltware (1 lb) $ 89.00
IBM Modem & Software Together (3 lbs.) $539.00
Are You A Regular Customer Of
PRIORITY ONE ELECTRONICS?
Look for your January Issue of PRIORITY INTERRUPT
— a NEW Sixteen-Page Newsletter Containing:
• Special Pricing Available ONLY Through Our Newsletter
• Tech Tips • Profiles of our major supliers
• In-depth product reviews • Customer "Talk- Back"
• Meet the Priority One People • Application Notes
J 1 Don't Miss Out On This
f / Unique Offer!
PRIORITY rLS ELECTRONICS
Phone Today and Get On Our
Priority Interrupt Mailing List!
91d Doling Avp. Chcrtsvvorth. CA 9i311-^887
ORDER TOLL FREE (800) 420-5922 - CA, AK. HI CALL (210) 709-51 1 1
Terms. U.S VISA MC, BAC. Check. Money Order. US f-unds Only. Ca resirisnts add6W/a Sales Tax. MINIMUM PREPAID 0ROER$l£00. Include MINIMUM SHIP-
PING & HANDLING of $3.00 for thefirst 3 lbs. plus40C (or each additional pound. Onlnrs over 50 lbs. sent freight collect Just in case, include your phone number. Prices
subject to change without notice We will do our best to maintain prices through January, 1 984. Many quantities are limited. Sorry, no rainchecks, no refunds orexchang-
es on sale merchandise Credit card orders will be charged approriate freight Sale prices for prepaid orders only. VVe are not responsible for typographical errors
<3
o
fr
D
f==
c
c
o
O
_
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u
RETAIL STORE PHONE NUMBERS: (Chotsworth:) (213) 709-5464 - (Irvine:) (714) 660-1411
^8 w ffi™ MICRO
mm. sales
• MADE IN USA • SUV FACTORY DIRECT •
California
Computer
Systems
^■p
DISK DRIVE SPECIALS
We've Lowered Our Prices
Offering A Complete Selection And. . .
THE LOWEST PRICES IN BYTE!
8" Shugart 801R SS/DD - The Industry Standard $355.00
8" Shugart 851R Double Sided 1.2 Meg - The Old Reliable 457.00
8" Qume Datatrak-8 DS/DO "THE BEST" of the floppys 479.00
8" Mitsubishi Full Height Double Sided 1 Year Parts + Labor . . . .445.00
8" Mitsubishi Thinline DS/DD 1 Year P+L Direct Drive 465.00
8" Tandon 848-1 Slimline SS/DD BOOK BYTES D.C. Motor 355.00
8" Tandon 848*2 Slimline Double Sided 1.2 Meg. D.C. .Motor 475.00
8" Siemens 100-8 SS/DD ON SALE NOW!!! But How Long? 169.00
bV Mitsubishi Full height 96T.P.I DS/DD 750K M4852 295.00
bV Mistubishi Slimline 96T.P.I. DS/DD 750K M4853 315.00
|5Tft" Qume 142 Slimline DS/DD 375.001
►
YEAR END SALE
SAVE $61.00
New CCS2066 64K Dynamic Memory
• 65,536 bytes of Dynamic RAM • Z-80/8080, S-100 compatible • Port bank/16 levels
of 64K = system memory of 1024K • Independently addressed in 16K blocks • 200ns
access and data lines • Hysteresis drivers and receivers for high noise immunity and
minimal bus loading effects. Part #B-5000-50 ONLY $299.00
YEAR END SYSTEM SALE
• 2300A Mainframe • 2422 Disk Controller
• 2066 64 K Memory • CP/M Operating System
• 2810 Z-80A CPU • 2719 2-Port RS-232 Serial
• All AC/DC & Data Cables • 8-bit Parallel I/O
A powerful package at ONLY $1495.00
CCS CALSTAR SYSTEM
Now available and with FREESOFTWflE: • Perfect Writer • Perfect Calc • Perfect Speller
and • Perfect Filer.
This powerful single box system includes: • Z-80 with 128K of RAM expandable to
256K • A networking interface • SASI hard disk interface to add-on a Winchester • CP/M
3.0 operating system • One parallel and two serial ports • Reads and writes the ISM
3740 format (compatible withXOR) AND • Two double-sided double-density 8" floppy
drives for 2.4 Megabytes of formatted storage AND • Will run two or more 8" or 5 Id "
floppys. Part #S- 1500-05
ON SALE NOW
Regular -$3306.00 — Our Price Only $2695.00
FANTASTIC SAVINGS!
S 39S
HELD OVER
ON THE ORIGINAL S-100 MOD
For engineers, hobbiests, and anyone who wants to save a bundle, the S1-M00
is the answer. Full regulated power to run up to four floppy disks coupled wife
a mamoth S-100 power supply and 12 slot bus, makes the S1-M0D an excep-
tional computer base. Single board design means no wiring from the power
supppfy to the motherboard. This eliminates all ground loop problems associated
with other brands of mainframes who are forced to use termination. The S1-M0D
is being offered this month with a matching $-100-12 cabinet. Fan cooled, fused,
with reset and keylock the cabinet is also enamel painted and silk screened.
Four AX. outlets are provided lor peripheral hookup and plenty of cutouts
available for RS-232, Centronics + others. Our regular $225.00 price for the
S1-M0D and 250.00 price for our 12 slot cabinet is being SLASHED!
SPECIFICATIONS: jjjttffjJjh SA VE
Regulated Unregulated '* ™**^B*T; " ^ _..__
+5V@5A +8V@30A fsfifcki OVER
+ 24V @ 3A +16V@6A KmWY **nn
,-5V@1A -16V @6A ^^T WW
Don't settle for those cheap 6 slot immitations you've seen elsewhere in this
mag. OWN THE BEST! X0R 8-1 MOD and S-100-12 Cabinet 5395.00!
5 1 /4" Tandon TM-100-2 1.B.M. PC Add-on! DS/DD 48 T.P.I 259.00
5 1 A " Tandon TM 100-4 0S/0D 96T.P.1. 750K 369.00
• WINCHESTER HARD DISKS *
SPECIALS
SVa" Miniscribe Hard Disk
•5 Meg $589 MO Meg $749
8" Quantum 20* Megabyte Winchester - Two Ratters 1895.00
8" Quantum 40* Meg Four Platter - Most Popular 2395.00
8" Quantum 85* Megabyte - Special Order on this Monster! . . . .2895.00
8" IOMEGA 10- Meg* Removeable Disk Drive with SCSI Controlled Inter-
face Board. Runs up to four drives 1895.00
8" IOMEGA. 10 Meg* Cartridge Drive - No Control Interface 895.00
8" 10 Meg* Removeable Cartridge Media #M-2000-5l ....... .50.00
•LAST MINUTE SPECIAL!!! Buy any Winchester hard disk drive above and get a
Western Digital hard disk interface board AT COST! .ONLY 295.00!
'Total storage space after formatting.
SPECIAL
ONLY
$450.00
Limit 5 per customer
XOR-500 DAISYWHEEL PRINTER
A letter-quality daisy-wheel printer at an unheard of wholesale price. This
20 cps workhorse features a daisy-wheel compatible with QUME's
products. Full 132 column format with 256 character buffer, serial AND
parallel interfacing (standard), 8 level automatic impression control -
original and 3 copies. The $450.00 price is not a misprint. High reliability
and quality performance sums-up the XOR-500 Daisy-wheel
XOR-500 TERMINAL
SALE
_ SLASHED!
Cut another $50
Only $445.00
That's right! A 700.00 terminal
for $445.00, a special
deal for our customers.
Features: •Screen tilt •Detached keyboard *9 cursor con-
trol keys *5 function keys •/ screen attributes •25th status
line •50-19.2 Kbaud •Column plus field tab •AND MORE
•All these features with a full 6 month warranty makes this
terminal the best buy on the market.
DUAL DRIVE SUBSYSTEMS
i
HORIZONTAL OR VERTICAL
Fully Assembled and Tested Units
ONE YEAR P + L WARRANTY
On Shugart and Mitsubishi Subsystems
A/two Misubishi DS/DD Assem. + Tested 2.4 Meg $1170.00
Af/two Shugart 801R SS/DD Assem. + Tested 1.2 Meg 975.00
w/two Shugart 851R DS/DD Assem. + Tested 2.4 Meg 1225.00
w/two Siemans 120-8 SS/DD Assem. + Tested 1.2 Meg 675.00
w/two Qume DT-8 DS/DD Assem. + Tested 2.4 Meg 1250.00
Cabinet Assem. & Tested w/Power Supply and Aces 235.00
Cabinet Top and Bottom with Mounting Hardware Only 69.50
All cabinets A & T and subsystems include all AC/DC wiring and 50 pin data
cable except the horizontal model which includes the internal 50 pin cable and
requires an external 50 pin cable part #C-6000-01 $ 25.00
5V*" Subsystems - Cabinet - Power Supply - Drives - Cables
w/lwo 48TPI SS/DD includes all cables Assem. + Tested .495.00
w/lwo 48TPI DS/DD includes all cables Assem. + Tested 595.00
w/two 96TPI DS/DD includes all cables Assem. + Tested ...... .695.00
CUSTOMER SERVICE HOTLINE 1 - (714) 898-5526
do you mnji r^r* a<* hit AARiini iTrn to process
NEED AN
IBM-PC 16-BIT COMPUTER
YOUR DATA?
o* v $1895
COMPLETE SYSTEM
Model XPC with ^
MS/DOS features
•MS/DOS standard,
CP/M-86 operating system
available at only $65.00
•64K memory
•Green CRT
•2 serial, one parallel port
•2 floppy drives for a
total of 750K storage
•Optional EPROM to 32K
•Optional Hard Disk add-on
•Optional floppy add-on
•Optional 8087 math co-processor
•Multi-function keyboard (this is one part
of the system that's NOT like IBM's, it's better)
•Fully expandable memory On-Board to 256K
PLUS 5 expansion slots (all IBM compatible)
•All available through U.S. Micro Sales and
^ YES it's all fully IBM compatible
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIEII
■&'•>
THE XPC
A New Model PC by XOR
So close to the IBM PC you'll have to look twice.
Due to the thousands of requests we've been
receiving by phone, mail and visitors, we've
responded by getting XOR to design this fantastic
16-bit IBM duplicate. We're offering a ONE YEAR
warranty (vs. 90 days). Need more information?
Order the manual for $5.00 (plus shipping). This
low price Includes drives, controllers, monitor,
power supply, etc. About the keyboard ... If
you've ever seen or used the IBM PC keyboard,
you'll understand why we HAD to come up with
something better — and we did! As a matter of
fact, for those of you who own an IBM PC — it's
time to take a hammer to that keyboard and call
Toll Free to pick-up one of our compatible replace-
ment keyboards at only $239.00
BASIC COMPUTER
ONLY
$895
/:■■:■:;!!'!!
The Features:
•64K RAM memory
• Expandable to 256K
• Full monitor PROM
•IBM PC compatibility
•Multi-function key-
board and cable
• Runs MS/DOS and CP/M-86 (not included) *Powei
Supply +5V @ 10 Amp, +12V @ 6 Amp, -12V @ 1 Amj.
•EPROM expandable on-board to 32K *5 expansion slots
with room for 4 more
INCLUDES: *8 level Interrupt *2 serial and one parallel
port *3 timer channels *4 DMA channels •Reset port
•Speaker port *and MORE!
548 BYTE January 1984
Circle 367 on inquiry card.
ORDER TOLL FREE
* EAST # * WES7 *
800-435-9357 800-854-8174
In III. (815) 485-4002
In Calif. (714) 898-1492
$ iff ^ MICRO
VlSI. Sv4Z.£S
• /mde «v l/SvA • etyy factory direct •
TERMS: We accept VlSA/MC. prepay, check or money order. Please allow personal checks two weeks 1o clear before shipment.
(5.00 handling charge on all orders under $50.00. 15% restocking fee. All orders shipped via UPS unless otherwise specified.
All UPS COD. orders over $100.00 require a Cashiers Check. Our products carry a full ONE YEAR Parts and LaborWarranty excluding
drives, printers and terminals which carry the full OEM factory warranty. PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
• EAST • 11 Edison Drive, New Lenox, Illinois 60451
• WEST • 15392 Assembly Lane, Huntington Beach, CA 92649
CUSTOM COMPUTER SYSTEMS by XOR
Why do companies like I.B.M. Corp. Atari Corp., Mattel Elec, Kennedy Space Center, Edwards A.F.B., Motorola Corp., Raytheon, and Pacific Technology buy product by mail from us? Maybe
it's our full 1 year parts and labor warranty on all XOR O.E.M. products. It could be our state of the art technology, or even the factory direct sales and service. We think it's our custom
computer systems with over 1000 possible configurations. If you don't see it advertised, call us today, chances are we CAN custom build the system YOU need.
• MICRO MANAGERS: POWERFUL, PORTABLE, AND AFFORDABLE •
Don't be fooled by the system's
small portable size. A full 64K of
memory with an industry standard
S-100 bus. Includes CP/M 2.2
and many utilities on two disks.
Add on a hard disk when you need
more storage. "The software and
hardware that comes with each
5'/*" system, is teady to run a pair
of 8" single or double sided flop-
pies, just plug in the 50 pin data
cable to the system — many other
configurations are available."
SVa" Z-80A 64K CP/M System
1 • Dual Floppy 375K SS/DD 40 Track #S-1000-8B $1445.00
• Dual Floppy 750K DS/DD 40 Track #S-1000-87 $1595.00
• Dual Floppy 1.5 Meg DS/DD 80 Track #S-1000-88 . . . $1645.00
^* System Chassis (No boards, drives, CP/M) #S-l000-84 $ 425.00
□
Inexpensive but powerful, small
enough for portability, these mini
hard disk systems have a special
XOR interface to the S-100 bus
that leaves an S-100 slotopen for
expandability. Choose from 5, 10,
and 16 megabyte sizes (6.5. 12.
+ 20 megabyte unformatted.) In-
cludes CP/M operating system.
One year parts and labor warranty.
Includes software and controller
fo'r 8" f loppy s.
SVa" Hard Disk with V2 Height Floppys
• 5 Meg Hard Disk w/375 Floppy #S-1000-81 $2195.00
• 5 Meg Hard Disk W/750K Floppy #S-1000-90 $2345.00
• 10 Meg Hard Disk w/2 1.5M Floppy #S-1000-92 .... $2795.00
• 16 Meg Hard Disk w/2 1.5M Floppy #S-1000-93 .... $2895.00
Our most popular computer
features a 4 slot S-100 bus and 8"
industry standard format. Reads
and writes the IBM 3740 format
as well as any byte size sector. Ex-
pandable? Yes, add a hard disk or
cartridge subsystem when your
data base grows. You've probably
seen some "look-a-like" S-100
4-slot systems lately, but they just
don't measure up the XOfl 8"
Micro Manager
2.4 Meg DS/DD 8" CP/M System
• System w/Dual SS/DD 1.2 Meg #S-1000-40 $1795.00
• System w/Dual DS/DD 2.4 Meg #S-1000-39 $1995.00
• System w/NO Drives (Includes CP/M) #S-1000-71 ... $1195.00
• System Chassis (No boards, drives, CP/M) #S-1000-70 $ 395.00
* THE BASIC PROFESS
2.4 Meg DS/DD 64K Z-80A CP/M System
This 'industry standard - ' computer features a 12 slot motherboard 30 amp power supply
2 serial RS-232 ports. Centronics parallel pan and CP/M software. The XOfl disk controller
included, will read and wnite the I B.M.- 3740 format (8" CP/M standard) as well as R/W
single on double sidec single or double density, and any byte/size sector. One year parts
^and labor on the complete system. #S-l0O0-36 $2345.00
ONAL FLOPPY, HARD DISK AND TAPE BACKUP •
20 Meg Winchester w/2.4 Meg Floppys
For the serious professional this system teatures the famous S-100-12 cabinet with XOR's
Sl-MOD 12-slot motherboard The Quantum hard disk has two JO Meg platters (A: and 8:).
One platter can be "backed-up" on another. 2/DS/DD 1.2 floppys are used fa software en-
try, copies, and back-up. One year pans and labor. #S-iOOO-63 $5275.00
20M H.D. with 17M Tape and 1.2M Floppy
Backup your priceless data on this full 17 megabyte tape drive and be abie to pip files between
any of the three peripherals for total versatility. Boot CP/M from hard disk or lloppy. change
tapes for archival storage. Reads and writes «he IBM 3740 Format (8" CPM standard)
#5-1000-69 $6390.00.
Above system 40 megabyte hard disk #3-1000-82 $7240.
ft
A word on Special Orders and Configuring the System you need:
We've built and shipped hundreds of Custom Computers that we have never advertised but, have been able to build to the customer specifications. Examples:
A 10 port hard disk system set-up to poil micro-wave devices; a Micro Manager interfaced to an X-Ray machine; a 7-User system with six of the users at
satellite stations via phone line modem communication throughout the United States. So whatever configuration you need; 4 floppies, 4 hard disks, 10 serial
Dorts, etc., call us Toll Free and talk to our Engineering Sales Crew and let us quote a price and delivery date that will satisfy your needs.
• THE OFFICE MASTERS! REMOVABLE CARTRIDGE DISK SYSTEMS •
10 Meg Cartridge Disk And 1.2 Meg Flop r
An office system at an almost unbelievable price when you consider the burloie of appncaik
software that ccmes with the syste . Ten megabytes of formatted storage on a removable
cartridge disk allows unlimited storage space with extra 10 Meg cartrdges available at $50.00
each With the speed and reliability ot a hard disk and removability of a floppy this office
master is the choice. #S- 1000-74 $3695.00
•
TWO 10 Meg Removable and DS/DD Floppy
Destined to be our #1 seller and no one else makes anything like it. A true state-of-the-art
system with virtually no-limit to storage capacities in 10 Meg removable cartridges Backup
problems? Get high speed backup from carirtJge to cartridge, ten megabytes worth, in 6 minutes 1
HINT: We don't use "PIP." Future technology here today. #S-l00-76 . $4595.00
4 User Cartridge Disk System
Four users and two 10 megabyte removable cartridge disks may be just what you want to
automate your office or small business, with all the software packages you'll ever neeo. A
multi-user version of the system at left, these users can be up to 100 feet away from each
other. Most any ter inai will work wiiththe user ports. #S-1000-80 $5825.00
• THE BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS: HARD DISK MULTI-USER SYSTEMS •
2 User Hard Disk System
A twenty meg hard disk {2 platter) with a DS/DD 1.2 Meg floppy disk makes
this a perfect system for a small business. Two user allows dual access to
the system tiles with each station up to 100 feet apart! Includes above soft-
ware. Full one year parts and labor. #S-1000-61 $5495.00
:l
40 Meg Hard Disk 4 User System
A must for a growing business! Two OS/DO floppys (2.4 Meg) lor data backup
and copy with a 4 platter 40 Meg hard disk four user capability to automate the
whole front office. You can even designate a 10 Meg platter to each user! Same
warranty as all our products - (configurable from 2 to 7 users) #S-1000-60 $7295
e
1*1
7 User 85 Meg w/17 Meg Backup
Now it's available, the automated business system to run even those large com-
panies! 7 separate users tied into one professional host system. If 85 Meg isn't
enough, we can put together as much as three hundred and forty megabytes! Full
17 Meg tape backup insures archival storage of valuable data #3-1000-98 $9595.00
Circle 367 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 549
SMITH-CORONA
Memory Correct III Messenger
PRINTER & TYPEWRITER
» RS232 Serial (
Centronics Parallel
> Multiple Pitch 10, 12, 15
UNBELIEVABLE!
$539.00
CALL COLLECT: 214/826-6521
FIGURE LOGIC
BUSINESS EQUIPMENT, INC.
M08 Gaston Ave. ■ Dallas, Texas 75214
Maxell Floppy Disks
The Mini- Disks
with maximum quality.
Dealer inquiries
invited. C.O.D's
accepted. Call
FREE (800) 235-4137.
^2
PACIFIC EXCHANGES
100 Foothill Blvd. San Luis
San Luis Obispo. CA 93401.
In Cal. call (800) 592-5935 or
(805)543-1037.
FROM SHARING PERIPHERALS ,
... TO INDUSTRIAL DATA
ACQUISITION AND CONTROL
ADD/NET™
Expandable auto-data transfer via RS-232C, RS422,
GPIB-488, HDLC. Easy menu setup.
CALL OUR ENGINEERS TODAY
(305) 293-2002
ADROIT ELECTRONICS, INC.
Dept A, 3790A Silver Star Rd.
Orlando, FL 32808
Circle 163 on inquiry card.
Circle 278 on inquiry card.
Circle 13 on inquiry card.
*1BM PC Compatible
r-i i ir- n O
Low, direct prices • Fast, direct service
*2532-450 $425
2716-450 320
2732-450 399
4116 155
*4164-150P 520
M164-200 505
6116-P3 499
6116-LP-3 499
Add $2 95 shipping to all orders. 2.6% for credit card orders
OEM • Quantity discounts available • P.O.s on
approval • C.O.D. OK ■ Credit cards • FL residents
add 5% tax • All new, no surplus, no seconds
(Prices subject to change.)
4920 Cypress St., Suite 100,
Tampa, FL 33607
In FL, and for info., call 813-875-0299
FOR ORDERS ONLY, 800-237-8910
] AM-8 PM EST
££
VIIA
Circle 159 on inquiry card.
years worked
65
40
retirement benefits o
The U.S. Department of Labor has a free
booklet that will help you answer these
questions and a lot more. Send for it today.
Write: Pensions, Consumer Information
Center, Pueblo, Colorado 81009
U.S. Department of Labor
PROPORTIONAL
SPACING
on WordStar
Now you can have the professional appearance
of typeset text using WordStar's built in print
capabilityPS iseasierto read and allows up to a
third more text on a page without appearing
cluttered. Using it is as easy as turning on bold
or underline and is done right in your document,
then printed by WordStar automatically!
Easy to readinstructionsf orprinting in PS, setting
two or mora justified columns on 3
page, underlining spaces between words, and
more. The techniques will workon all versionsof
WordStar, and will drive Diablo, Xerox, Qume,
NEC, C.ltoh and other daisywheel printers. No
technical knowledge is needed.
PB on WordStar -8BO postpaid
Please send me Copies. Enclosed
is my check (or Visa/MC# and exp. date)
for $ , made out to:
WRITING CONSULTANTS
Suite 138
1 1 Creek Bend Drive
Fairport, New York 1 4450
Call Toll Free 1-800-227-3800 Ext. 7018
Dealer inquires invited.
nqui
Circle 382 on inquiry card.
$300.00
8/16 Bit Fast Static Ram
Lexicomp's SR-64K. is the ideal low cost/
advanced technology memory board for SI007
IEEE 696. D2. 1 systems integrators.
Features:
• 24 Bit Addressing • 10 MHz Speed
•8000-FFFF Dcseleciable • Phantom. Pin 67
Send for free brochure and price list.
ILexicom pI
67 Valley Road-POB 222-Lexington, MA 02173
Telephone: (617)862-3088
8051-Based
Single-Board Computer with
Monitor/Debugger
• Versatile - 4 28-pin byte-wide
sockets; monitor will program
EEPROMs.
• Affordable -just $335
• Perfect for System Development
and Educational Applications
Binary Technology
P O BOX A-59 • HANOVER. NH 03755 • 603 643-2881
13
APPLE USERS
FOURTEEN FUN &
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
-ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
TRAVELING SALESMAN PROBLEM
KNIGHT'S TOUR
-UTILITIES
LISTING FORMATTER
RECOVER LOST PROGRAMS
DEBUGGER
-MICRO P
A NEW PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE
-VOICE SYNTHESIS
RECORD YOUR VOICE
MAKE YOUR APPLE TALK
AND MORE! LISTABLE & UNPROTECTED]
ONLY $24.95!
FREE SHIPPING
ALPHA ENTERPRISES
P0 BOX 522
DENTON, TX 76201
Circle 220 on inquiry card.
Circle 17 on inquiry card.
WHY JDR IVIICRODEUICES?
OUR CUSTOttlERS SAV IT UERV WELL
Be,
JOfi
Cky
******
Mi,
e r9
'«**&***
1983
San
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fias,
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JDR Microdevices
1224 S. Bascom Ave.
San Jose, CA 95128
Dear Sir or Madam:
I wantto thank you personallyforthehelpyougave
in updating one of my orders. It was truly a service
that you did not have to provide but nevertheless
fulfilled.
I have been buying merchandise from your organ-
ization for years now and intend to be one of your
major customers in the future. In a recent inquiry
from Tl they asked who my major suppliers for MOS
memories and LSI circuitry were and why. I placed
the nameof your organization down for both entries
for several reasons.
(1)* You run a total service operation.
(2)* You have the largest range of merchandise.
(3)* You have the lowest prices. (We compared
you to 4 leading distributors.)
(4)* You carry 100% quality components.
(5) You have several delivery options.
(6) You have delivery shipped within 2 weeks.
(7)' You can ship within 3days with Blue Label Air.
(8)* You provide telephone orders. (Tollfreenum-
ber is excellent.)
(9)* You include an updatedcatalogineveryorder.
(10)* You are the first to carry new technology LSI
circuitry. (Before others.)
(11) You sell not only IC packages but periphery
and accessories as well.
(12)* You have regular SALES on merchandise.
*NOTE: Items marked with asterisk indicate features
most favorable to my firm.
We at Computer Research Technology are behind
you 100%! Keep up the excellent work!
t\ou s
<*° a r;uco°^~coP«£«*0
**3*U
a
se^
tfO*
c*
sfro^outf*
Sincerely,
Sebastian Sullivan
Supervising Engineer
Computer Research Technology
«#!2S&sir
fro*
lU oort e -
m t he f SStJ re »* **th fo?' 1 orct er
* han *yo u ******
Pa-
5&?>
'S&
r ac e
•So F7 -
Pas '?Lt Ver *c*veci he9r **t
"timber"? 0r <*eredn' n "*
'Math,
JDR Microdevices
1224 S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128
800-538-5000 • 800-662-6279 (CA)
(408) 995-5430 • Telex 171-110
Copyright 1983 JDR Microdevices
Circle 201 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 551
64K DYNAMIC
200 NS
$5^ TMM2016
2KX8 STATIC
200 NS
2101
5101
2102-1
2102L-4
2102L-2
2111
2112
2114
2114-25
2114L-4
2114L-3
2114L-2
TC5514
TC5516
2147
TMS4044-4
TMS4044-3
TMS4044-2
MK4118
TMM2016-200
TMM2016-150
1 TMM2016-100
HM6116-4
HM6116-3
HM6116-2
HM6116LP-4
HM6116LP-3
HM6116LP-2
Z-6132
HM6284
STATIC RAMS
EPROMS
"CRYSTALS
256x4
256x4
1024 x 1
1024 x 1
1024 x 1
256x4
256x4
1024 x 4
1024x4
1024 x 4
1024 x 4
1024 x4
1024 x 4
2048x8
4096 x 1
4096 x 1
4096 x 1
4096 x 1
1024x8
2048 x 8
2048 x 8
2048 x 8
2048 x 8
2048x8
2048 x 8
2048 x 8
2048 x 8
2048 x 8
4096x8
8192 x 8
LP = Low Power
(450ns)
(450ns) (cmos)
(450ns)
(450ns) (LP)
(250ns) (LP)
(450ns)
(450ns)
(450ns)
(250ns)
(450ns) (LP)
(3Q0ns) (LP)
(200ns) (LP)
(650ns) (cmos)
(250ns) (cmos)
(55ns)
(450ns)
(300ns)
(200ns)
(250ns)
(200ns)
(150ns)
(100ns)
(200ns) (cmos)
(150ns) (cmos)
(120ns) (cmos)
(200ns) (cmos)(LP)
(150ns) (cmos)(LP)
(120ns) (cmos)(LP)
(300ns) (Qstat)
(150ns) (cmos)
Qstat = Quasi-Static
1
2
2
8/9.
8/10.
8/12,
8/13.
8/13.
2.
9.
4
3
3.
4.
9.
4.
4.
6
4.
4.
8.
5.
6
10.
34
49,
.95]
L95 [
.89 I
99 I
49 I
49 I
99 I
.95 [
95
95 I
45 I
95 [
.49 I
95
95
.49
99
49 I
95 [
.15
95
.15
75 I
95
95 [
95
.95 I
95 |
.95 I
95 [
1702
256x8
(1us)
4.50
2708
1024 x 8
(450ns)
3.95
2758
1024 x 8
(450ns) (5v)
5.95
2716
2048 x 8
(450ns) (5v)
3.95
2716-1
2048 x 8
(350ns) (5v)
5.95
TMS2516
2048 x 8
(450ns) (5v)
5.50
TMS2716
2048 x 8
(450ns)
7.95
TMS2532
4096 x 8
(450ns) (5v)
5.95
2732
4096 x 8
(450ns) (5v)
4.95
2732-250
4096 x 8
(250ns) (5v)
8.95
2732-200
4096 x 8
(200ns) (5v)
11.95
2732A-4
4096 x 8
(450ns) (5v)(21vPGM)
6.95
2732A
4096 x 8
(250ns) (5v)(21vPGM)
9.95
2732A-2
4096 x 8
(200ns) (5v)(21vPGM)
13.95
2764
8192x8
(450ns) (5v)
6.95
2764-250
8192 x 8
(250ns) (5v)
7.95
2764-200
8192x8
(200ns) (5v)
19.95
TMS2564
8192x8
(450ns) (5v)
14.95
MCM68764 8192 x 8
(450ns) (5v) (24 pin)
39.95
MCM68766 8192x8
(350ns) (5v) (24 pin)(pwr dn.)
42.95
27128
16384x8
(300ns) (5v)
29.95
^v = Single 5 Volt Supply 21vPGM = Program at 21 Voltv
EPROM ERASERS
DYNAMIC RAMS
TMS4027
UPD411
MM5280
MK4108
MM5298
4116-300
4116-250
4116-200
4116-150
4116-120
2118
I MK4332
14164-200
| 4164-150
I MCM6665
TMS4164-15
4096 x 1
4096 x 1
4096 x 1
8192x1
8192x1
16384x1
16384 x 1
16384 x 1
16384 x 1
16384 x 1
16384 x 1
32768 x 1
65536 x 1
65536 x 1
65536 x 1
65536 x 1
(250ns)
(300ns)
(300ns)
(200ns)
(250ns)
(300ns)
(250ns)
(200ns)
(150ns)
(120ns)
(150ns) (5v)
(200ns)
(200ns) (5v)
(150ns) (5v)
(200ns) (5v)
(150ns) (5v)
1.99
3.00 I
3.00 I
1.95 I
1.85 I
8/11.75 I
8/7.95 [
8/12.95 I
8/14.95 I
8/29.95 I
4.95
9.95
5.95
6.95
8.95
8.95
PE-14
PE-14T
PE-24T
PL-265T
PR-125T
Lpfl-320T
Capacity
Chip
9
9
12
30
25
42
Intensity
(uW/Cm 2 )
8,000
8,000
9,600
9,600
17,000
17,000
83.00 I
119.00
175.00 I
255.00
349.00 I
595,00/
4 Computer managed inuentory
— ulrtuallu no back orders!
* uery competltiue prices!
* Friendly stall!
* Fast serulce - most orders
shipped within 2a hours!
5V ■ single 5 volt supply
6800
6500
8000
68000
6800
6802
6803
6808
6809E
16809
6810
I 6820
16821
I 6828
I 6840
I 6843
I 6844
I 6845
I 6847
| 6850
6852
6860
6875
6880
I 6883
I 68047
I 68488
6800
49.95
2.95 [
7.95 I
19.95 I
13.90 I
14.95
11.95 I
2.95 1
4.35 [
2.95 I
14.95 I
12.95 I
34.95
25.95
14.95
11.95 I
3.25 1
5.75 1
7.95 1
6.95 I
2.25
22.95
24.95
19.95 |
1MHZ
6502
4.95
6504
6.95
6505
8.95
6507
9.95
6520
4.35
6522
6.95
6532
9.95
6545
22.50
6551
11.85
2 MHZ
6502A
6.95
6522A
9.95
6532A
11.95
6545A
27.95
6551A
11.95
DISC
I CONTROLLERS I
8035
8039
INS-8060
INS-8073
8080
8085
8085A-2
8086
8087
8088
8089
8155
8155-2
8156
8185
8185-2
8741
8748
18755
5.95
5.95
17.95
49.95
3.95
4.95
11.95
24.95
CALL
29.95
89.95
6.95
7.95
6.95
29.95
39.95
29.95
24.95
24.95
68B00
10.95
68B02
22.25
68B09E
29.95
68B09
29.95
68B10
6.95
68B21
6.95
68B40
19.95
68B45
19.95
68B50
5.95
68B00 = 2 MHZ
1771
1791
1793
1795
1797
2791
2793
2795
2797
6843
8272
UPD765
MB8876
MB8877
1691
L2143
16.95 I
24.95 I
26.95 I
29.95 I
49.95 I
54.95 I
54.95 I
59.95 I
59.95 I
34.95 I
39.95 I
39.95 I
29.95 I
34.95 I
17.95 I
18,95 J
CRT
I CONTROLLERS
6845
14.95
68B45
19.96
HD46505SP
15.95
6847
11.95
MC1372
6.95
68047
24.95
8275
29.95
7220
99.95
CRT5027
19.95
CRT5037
24.95
TMS9918A
39.95
J5P8350
49,95
8200
8202
24.95
8203
39.95
8205
3.50
8212
1.80
8214
3.85
8216
1.75
8224
2.25
8226
1.80
8228
3.49
8237
19.95
8237-5
21.95
8238
4.49
8243
4.45
8250
10.95
8251
4.49
8253
6.95
8253-5
7.95
8255
4.49
8255-5
5.25
8257
7.95
8257-5
8.95
8259
6.90
8259-5
7.50
8271
79.95
8272
39.95
8275
29.95
8279
8.95
8279-5
10.00
8282
6.50
8283
6.50
8284
5.50
8286
6.50
8287
6.50
8288
25.00
,8289
49.95,
Z-80
2.5 Mhz
zso-cpu
z8o-ctc
z8o-dart
z8o-dma
zso-pio
zso-sio/o
zso-sio/i
Z80-S10/2
Z80-S10/9
3.95 1
3.95
10.95
14.95
3.95 I
11.95 I
11.95 I
11.95
11.95
4.0 Mhz
z8oa-cpu
z8oa-ctc
z8oa-dart
z8oa-dma
z8oa-pio
z8oa-sio/o
zsoA-sio/i
Z80A-SIO72
Z80A-SIO/9
6.0 Mhz
z8ob-cpu
z8ob-ctc
z8ob-pio
z8ob-dart
z8ob-sio/2
ZILOG
Z6132 34.95 I
Z8671 39.95J
4,49
4.95 I
9.95 I
12.95
4.49
12.95
12.95
12,95 I
12.95
9.95 1
12.95 I
12.95
19.95
39.95
1 32.768 khz
1.0 mhz
1.8432
2.0
2.097152
2.4576
3.2768
3.579545
4.0
5.0
5.0688
5.185
5.7143
6.0
6.144
6.5536
8.0
I 10.0
10.738635
14.31818
15.0
16.0
17.430
18.0
18.432
20.0
22.1184
V32.0
1.95
3.95
3.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95
2.95,
CMOS
^ UAR1
AY3-1014
"S ^
6.95
AY5-1013
3.95
AY3-1015
6.95
PT1472
9.95
TR1602
3.95
2350
9.95
2651
8.95
IM6402
7.95
IM6403
8.95
INS8250
10.95
GENERATORS
BIT-RATE
MC14411
11.95
BR1941
11.95
4702
12.95
COM5016
16.95
COM8116
10.95
MM5307
10.95
FUNCTION
MC4024
3.95
LM566
1.49
XR2206
3.75
^8038
3.95
r MISC.
UPD7201
29.95
TMS99532
29.95
ULN2003
2.49
3242
7.95
3341
4.95
MC3470
4.95
MC3480
9.00
11C90
13.95
95H90
7.95
2513-001 UP
9.95
^2513-002 LOW
9.95^
^cudc!^^
CIRCUITS
MM5314
4.95
MM5369
3.95
MM5375
4.95
MM56167
12.95
MM56174
11.95
MSM5832
3.95j
KEYBOARD
CHIPS
I AY5-2376 11.951
AY5-3600 11.95 1
LAY5-3600 PRO 11.9sJ
4000
4001
4002
4006
4007
4008
4009
4010
4011
4012
4013
4014
4015
4016
4017
4018
4019
4020
4021
4022
4023
4024
4025
4026
4027
4028
4029
4030
4034
4035
4040
4041
4042
4043
4044
4046
4047
4049
4050
4051
4053
4060
4066
4068
4069
4070
4071
4072
4073
4075
4076
4078
4081
4082
4085
4086
4093
4098
4099
14409
14410
14411
14412
14419
14433
4502
4503
4508
4510
4511
4512
4514
4515
4516
4518
4519
4520
4522
4526
4527
.29
.25
.25
.89
.29
.95
.39
.45
.25
.25
.38
.79
.39
.39
.69
.79
.39
.75
.79
.79
.29
.65
.29
1.65
.45
.69
.79
.39
1.95
.85
.75
.75
.69
.85
.79
.85
.95
.35
.35
.79
.79
.89
.39
.39
.29
.35
.29
.29
.29
.29
.79
.29
.29
.29
.95
.95
.49
2.49
1.95
12.95
12.95
11.95
12.95
7.95
14.95
.95
.65
1.95
.85
.85
.85
1.25
1.79
1.55
.89
.39
.79
1.25
1.25
1.95
4528
4531
4532
4538
4539
4541
4543
4553
4555
4556
4581
4582
4584
4585
4702
74C00
74C02
74C04
74C08
74C10
74C14
74C20
74C30
74C32
74C42
74C48
74C73
74C74
74C76
74C83
74C85
74C86
74C89
74C90
74C93
74C95
74C107
74C150
74C151
74C154
74C157
74C160
74C161
74C162
74C163
74C164
74C165
74C173
74C174
74C175
74C192
74C193
74C195
74C200
74C221
74C244
74C373
74C374
74C901
74C902
74C903
74C905
74C906
74C907
74C908
74C909
74C910
74C911
74C912
74C914
74C915
74C918
74C920
74C921
74C922
74C923
74C925
74C926
74C928
74C929
1.19 I
.95 1
1.95 I
1.95 I
1.95 I
2.64]
1.19)
5.79 I
.95
.95 I
1.95 I
1.95 I
.75 I
.751
12.95 I
.35 I
.35 I
.35 |
351
.351
.59 |
.35 1
.35 I
.39 I
1.29 I
1.99]
.65 I
.65 I
.80 l
1.95
1.95
.39 I
4.50 I
1.19
1.75 I
.99 I
89
5.75 I
2.25
3 25
1.75 I
1.19 I
1.19 I
1.19 I
1.19 I
1.39 I
2.00 |
.79 I
1.19 I
1.19 I
1.49 |
1.49 I
1-39 I
5.75 I
1.75
2.25
2.45
2.45 I
.39 I
.85 I
.85
10.95
95
1.00 I
2.00
2.75
9.95
3.95 I
8.95]
1.95 J
1.19 I
2.75
17.95
15.95 I
4.49 I
4.95 I
5.95 I
7.95 I
7.95]
19.95J
JDR Microdevices
1224 S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128
, 800-538-5000 • 800-662-6279 (CA)
(408) 995-5430 • Telex 171-110
c Copyright 1983 JDR Microdevices
VISIT OUR RETAIL STORE
HOURS: M-W-F, 9-5 T-Th., 9-9 Sat. 10-3
PLEASE USE YOUR CUSTOMER NUMBER WHEN ORDERING
TERMS: Minimum order $10. For shipping and handling include
$2.50 for UPS Ground and $3.50 for UPS Air. Orders over 1 lb. and
foreign orders may require additional shipping charges — please
contact our sales department tor the amount. CA residents must
include 6% sales tax, Bay Area and LA residents include 67?%. I
subject to change without notice. We are not responsible for
typographical errors. We reserve the right to limit quantities and to
substitute manufacturer. All merchandise subject to prior sale.
552 BYTE January 1984
Circle 202 on inquiry card.
2114 ,so NS 8/$995 2114
250 NS
74LS00
74S00
VOLTAGE
74LS00
74LS01
.24
.25
74LS173
74LS174
.69
.55
74S00
74S02
.32
.35
74S132
74S133
1.24
.45
74S225
74S240
7.95 ■
2.20 ■
REGULATORS
7400
7401
.19
.19
74123
74125
.49
.45
74LS02
.25
74LS175
.55
74S03
.35
74S134
.50
74S241
2.20 I
1 7805T
.75
7905T
.85
7402
.19
74126
.45
74LS03
.25
74LS181
2.15
74S04
.35
74S135
.89
74S244
2 ll 1
1 78M05C
.35
7908T
7912T
7915T
7924T
.85
7403
.19
74132
.45
74LS04
74LS0S
74LS08
.24
.25
.28
74LS189
74LS190
74LS191
8.95
.89
.89
74S05
74S08
74S09
74S10
.35
.35
.40
.35
74S138
74S139
74S140
74S151
.85
.85
.55
.95
74S251
74S253
74S257
74S258
.95 I
.95 1
.95 ■
.95 ■
1 7808T
1 7812T
1 7815T
.75
.75
.75
.85
.85
.85
7404
7405
7408
.19
.25
.29
74138
74143
74145
.50
4.95
.60
74LS09
74LS10
.29
.25
74LS192
74LS193
.79
.79
74S11
74S15
.35
.35
74S153
74S157
.95
.95
74S260
74S273
79 1
2.45 1
1 7824T
1 7805K
.75
7905K
1.49
7407
7408
.29
.24
74147
74148
1.75
1.20
74LS11
.35
74LS194
.69
74S20
.35
74S158
.95
74S274
19.95 1
1.39
7912K
1.49
7409
.19
74150
1.35
74LS12
.35
74LS195
.69
74S22
.35
74S161
1.95
74S275
19.95 1
1 7812K
1.39
7915K
1.49
7410
.19
74151
.55
74LS13
.45
74LS196
.79
74S30
.35
74S162
1.95
74S280
1.95 I
1 7815K
1.39
7924K
1.49
7411
.25
74153
.55
74LS14
.59
74LS197
.79
74S32
.40
74S163
1.95
74S287
1.90 I
1 7824K
1.39
79L05
.79
7413
.35
74154
1.25
74LS15
.35
74LS221
.89
74S37
.88
74S168
3.95
74S288
1.90 I
1 78L05
.89
79L12
.79
7414
.49
74155
.75
74LS20
.25
74LS240
.95
74S38
.85
74S169
3.95
74S289
6.89 I
1 78L12
.69
79L15
.79
7416
.25
74157
.55
74LS21
.29
74LS241
.99
74S40
.35
74S174
.95
74S301
6.95 ■
1 78L15
.69
7417
.25
74159
1.65
74LS22
.25
74LS242
.99
74S51
.35
74S175
.95
74S373
2.45 ■
LM323K
4.95
7420
.19
74160
.85
74LS28
.29
74LS243
.99
74S64
.40
74S161
3.95
74S374
2.45 ■
1 78H05K
9.95
UA78S40 1.95
7421
.35
74161
.69
74LS27
74LS28
.29
.35
74LS244
74LS245
1.29
1.49
74S65
74S74
74S85
.40
.50
1.99
74S182
74S188
74S189
2.95
1.95
6.95
74S381
74S387
74S412
7.95 P
1.95 ■
2.98 I
78H12K
C,T
9.95
« TO-220 K = TO-3
7425
7427
.29
.29
74163
74164
.69
.85
74LS30
74LS32
74LS33
.25
.29
.55
74LS247
74LS248
74LS249
.75
.99
.99
74S86
74S112
74S113
.50
.50
.50
74S194
74S195
74S196
1.49
1.49
1.49
74S471
74S472
74S474
4.95 I
4.95 I
4.95 1
L
L«
■ TO-92
7430
7432
7437
.19
.29
.29
74165
74168
74167
.85
1.00
2.95
■ _>
^^^
1 1 —
1
74LS37
.35
74LS251
.59
74S114
.55
74S197
1.49
74S482
15.25 1
|M^tn.^«^
\ B i/jca m
7438
.29
74170
1.85
74LS38
.35
74LS253
.59
74S124
2.75
74S201
6.95
74S570
2.95 ■
L
* c
■ u
i ^^
^
7442
.49
74173
.75
74LS40
74LS42
.25
.49
.75
74LS257
74LS258
74LS259
.59
.59
2.75
74S571
2.95 J
■^
1 1 —
_J
7445
7446
7447
.89
.69
.69
74174
74175
74177
.89
.89
.75
^^^
^^^
m
1MB
%■"■%
T^
74LS47
>■■■■■■
HM*.
ii
I
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74LS48
.75
74LS280
.59
VINTEHFACt
n
HI
1FR
If
l|
I
rl
FrF
7448
.69
74181
2.25
74LS49
.75
74LS266
.55
1 3T26
1.5S
u
III
jcn
1 I
PL
L
iff
III
7451
.23
74184
2.00
74LS51
.25
74LS273
1.49 I
I 8T28
1.8£
^B
" ■ m m
■ ^B
W MB ^^m
7473
.34
74165
2.00
74LSS4
.29
74LS275
3.35 |
■ 8T95
Mi
^^ M
fe ^fe
atm 4kW m
^ ammi M
|k ^Bh
—
7474
.33
74191
1.15
74LSSS
.29
74LS279
.49
I 8T96
M
Qfl
in
CO
1 Rl
\t\
in
7475
.45
74192
.79
74LS83
1.25
74LS280
1.98
I 8T97
M
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LI"
1J]
I "HI
in
II
7476
.35
74193
.79
74LS73
.39
.35
74LS283
74LS290
.69
.89
I 8T98
I DM8131
.8$
2.9J
VI
0%0 \
l#l#l
w III
0%M
i#
7482
7483
.95
.50
74194
74195
.85
.85
74LS74
W - T
rTv^^r
TtTt
/^■Vri
74LS75
.39
74LS293
.89
I DP8304
2.2S
If
n
H^
fm^U
9 M
u
7485
.59
74197
.75
74LS76
.39
74LS295
.99
I DS8633
2.25
III
IIIB
tji/
L"Ui
LM
7486
.35
74198
1.35
74LS78
74LS83
74LS8S
.49
.80
.69
74LS298
74LS299
74LS323
.89
1.75
3.50
1 DS8835
1.9S
■■
1 DS8836
I DS8837
!9£
1.6£
(CA
LIF01
MIA RESIDENTS)
r 409
7490
7492
Z. 13
.35
.50
74246
74247
I.OD
1.35
1.25
74LS88
.39
.55
.89
.55
.55
74LS324
74LS352
74LS353
74LS363
74LS364
1.75
1.29
1.29
1.35
1.95
EPS8838
1.3C
f
EDEF
ML EXPRESS
7493 .35
7495 .55
7497 2.75
74100 1.75
74107 .30
74259
74273
74276
74279
74386
2.25
1.95
1.25
.75
.65
SOUN
CHIP*
77
88
74LS90
74LS91
74LS92
D
3.95
5.95
Fl
W DAI
1 ADC0800
PA j
1
ACQUISITION ^764
5.55 DAC0808 2.95 | 764
74LS93
74LS95
.75
74LS365
.49
I ADC0804
3.49 DAC1020
8.25 ■ 76489
8.95
«Dinrp<:
74109 .45
74367
.65
74LS96
.69
74LS386
.49
■ ADC0809
4.49 DAC1022
5.95 ■ AY3-8910
12.95
Ot
74116 1.55
74388
.65
74LS107
.39
74LS367
.45
■ AD COB 17
9.95 MC1408L6
.95 ■ AY3-8912
12.95
All
m a ■ m n ■ ■- ■
74121
.29
74393
1.35
74LS109
74LS112
74LS113
.39
.39
.39
.39
.45
74LS368
74LS373
74LS374
74LS375
74LS377
.45
1.39
1.39
.95
1.39
Rdacoooo
4.95 MC1408L8 ? a^^^n^An
1.49J1
AUfllLftDLt!
,
174123 .45
74LS114
74LS122
JCONNECTOF
sW
LINEAR
RCA
74LS123
.79
74LS376
1.18
. j RS232 Male
X
50 H
LM301
.34
LM340 (see 7600)
LM565
.99
LM1558H
3.10 CA 3023
2.75
CA3082
1.65
74LS124
2.90
74LS379
1.35
H no^Oi reman? a
■ RS232 Hood 1
25 H
LM301H
.79
LM348
.99
LM566
1.49
LM1800
2.37 CA 3039
1.29
CA 3083
1.55
74LS12S
.49
74LS385
3.90
LM307
.45
LM350K
4.95
LM567
.89
LM1812
8.25 CA 3046
1.25
CA 3086
.80
74LS128
.49
.59
.59
74LS386
74LS390
74LS393
.45
1.19
1.19
ls-100 ST
3
95^
LM308
LM308H
LM309H
.69
1.15
1.95
LM350T
LM358
LM359
4.60
.69
1.79
NE570
NE571
NE590
3.95
2.95
2.50
LM1830
LM1871
LM1872
3.50 CA 3059
5.49 CA 3060
5.49 CA 3085
2.90
2.90
1.75
CA3089
CA 3096
CA3130
2.99
74LS132
3.49
74LS133
^T^ CV A
1.30
74LS136
.39
74LS395
1.19
M fcAAn
LM309K
1.25
LM376
3.75
NE592
2.75
LM1877
3.25 CA 3080
1.10
CA3140
1.15
74LS137
.99
74LS399
1.49
2.95
.95
1.95
I XR 2206
3
75 8
LM310
1.75
LM377
1.95
LM709
.59
LM1889
1.95 CA 3081
1.65
CA3146
1.85
74LS138
74LS139
74LS145
.55
.55
1.20
74LS424
74LS447
74LS490
■ XR 2207
3
75 ■
LM311
.64
LM378
2.50
LM710
.75
LM1896
1.75
CA3160
1.19
■ XR 2208
3
75 ■
LM311H
.89
LM379
4.50
LM711
.79
ULN2003
2.49
■ XR2211
" 1 YR 99dn
5
3
25 ■
LM312H
LM317K
1.75
3.95
LM380 .89
LM380N-8 1.10
LM723
LM723H
.49
.55
LM2877
LM2878
2.05
2.25
Tl
74LS147
2.49
74LS824
3.99
WMMfli
if
LM317T
1.19
LM381
1.60
LM733
.98
LM2900
.85 TL494
4.20
75365
1.95
74LS148
1.35
74LS840
2.20
LM318
1.49
LM382
1.60
LM741
.35
LM2901
1.00 TL496
1.65
75450
.59
74LS151
.55
74LS645
2.20
jf INTER QM
LM318H
1.59
LM383
1.95
LM741N-14 .35
LM3900
.59 TL497
3.25
75451
.39
74LS153
.55
74LS868
1.69
■ ICL7106
WIB.
95 1
LM319H
1.90
LM384
1.95
LM741H
.40
LM3905
1.25 75107
1.49
75452
.39
74LS154
1.90
74LS669
1.69
9
LM319
1.25
LM366
.89
LM747
.69
LM3909
.98 75110
1.95
75453
.39
74LS1SS
.69
74LS670
1.49
I ICL7107
12
95 1
LM320 (see 7900)
LM387
1.40
LM748
.59
LM3911
2.25 75150
1.95
75454
.39
74LS1S6
.69
74LS674
14.95
1 ICL7660
2
95 1
LM322
1.65
LM369
1.35
LM1014
1.19
LM3914
3.95 75154
1.95
75491
.79
74LS157
.65
74LS682
3.20
I ICL8038
3
95 ■
LM323K
4.95
LM390
1.95
LM1303
1.95
LM3915
3.95 75188
1.25
75492
.79
74LS158
.59
74LS883
74LS684
74LS885
74LS688
3.20
3.20
3.20
2.40
■ ICM7207A
5
59 ■
LM324
.59
LM392
.69
LM1310
1.49
LM3918
3.95 75189
1.25
75493
.89
74LS160
74LS161
74LS162
74LS163
.69
.65
.69
^ICM72QB
15
95M
LM329
LM331
.65
3.95
LM393
LM394H
1.29
4.60
MC1330
MC1349
1.69
1.89
MC4024
MC4044
3.95
4.50
75494
.89
^^9oo<r™
LM334
LM335
1.19
1.40
LM399H
NE531
5.00
2.95
MC1350
MC1358
1.19
1.89
RC4136
RC4151
1.25
3.95
Bl FET
.65
74LS689
3.20
I 9316
1
00 1
LM336
1.75
NE555
.34
MC1372
6.95
LM4250
175 TL071
.79
TL084
2.19
74LS164
.89
81LS95
1.49
■ 9334
2
50 ■
LM337K
3.95
NE556
.65
LM1414
1.59
LM4500
3.25 TL072
1.19
LF347
2.19
74LS18S
.95
81LS98
1.49
■ 9368
3
95 1
LM337T
1.95
NE558
1.50
LM1458
.59
RC4558
■69 TL074
2.19
LF351
.60
74LS186
1.95
81LS97
1.49
I 9401
9
95 1
LM338K
6.95
NE581
24.95
LM1488
.69
LM13080
1.29 TL081
.79
LF353
1.00
74LS188
1.75
81LS98
1.49
■ 9601
75 M
LM339
.99
NE564
2.95
LM1489
.69
LM13600
1.49 TL082
1.19
LF355
1.10
74LS169
1.75
25LS2521
2.80
B 9602
1
50 H
LM1496
.65
LM13700
1.49 TL083
1.19
LF356
1.10
74LS170
1.49
25LS2569
4.25 J
"A96S02
1
95 M
H = TO-5 CAN
T
= TO-2
20
K = TO-3
LF357
1.40
MICR0DEVICES AT MICR0PRICES
ALL MERCHANDISE 100% GUARANTEED
•
Copyright 1963 JDR Microdevices
Circle 202 on Inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 553
16K EPROMS
ai1B 25 0Ms8/$795
RF mODULATOR
(ASTEC UM1082) QUANTITIES LIMITED
• PRESET TO CHANNEL 3 NOW
• USE TO BUILD ONLY
TV-COMPUTER INTERFACE
• +5 VOLT OPERATION
POWER SUPPLIES
IDEAL FOR HOBBYIST. BENCHWORK & DO-IT-YOUR-
SELFERS! 90-DAY WARRANTY! NEW & UNUSED!
QUANTITIES LIMITED!
CAPACITORS
TANTALUM
DISC
$695
ASTEC AA1 1190
• QUAD OUTPUT SWITCHING
DESIGN AS USED IN APPLE III
• +5 @ 4A; -5 @ .25A
• +12 @ 2.5A; -12 @ .30A; 15.5"x4.5"x2"
SISIKIA INSTRUMENTS
Model 2PC2241
I* DESIGNED FOR DEC EQUIPMENT
• FUSE PROTECTED • LINEAR DESIGN
• AUXILIARY AC OUTLET
I* +5 @ 4A; -15V @ 1.5A; 1 2.25"x4"x4.75"
NOW
ONLY
$5990
NOW
ONLY
$1995
OUR OUVER BLEW IT
|& BOUGHTTOO MANY OFTHESE GEMS! I
4116 250NS 8/7.95
[DYNAMIC RAM MM5298 8K x 1
6V
10V
15V
20V
25V
35V
.22uf
.40
.27
.40
.33
.40
.47
.35
.50
.68
.45
1.0
.40
.40
.45
.45
1.5
.45
.50
1.8
.75
2.2
.35
.40
.45
.65
2.7
.40
.45
.90
3.3
.45
.50
.55
.60
.65
3.9
.45
4.7
.45
.55
.60
.65
.85
6.8
.70
.75
8.2
1.00
10
.55
.65
.80
.85
.90
1.00
12
.65
.85
.90
15
.75
.85
.90
18
1.25
22
1.00
1.35
27
2.25
39
1.50
47
1.35
56
1.75
100
3.25
270
3.75
10pf
22
25
27
33
47
56
68
82
100
220
330
50V
50V
50V
50V
.05
.05
.05
.05
50V .05
50V .05
50V
50V
.05
.05
50V .05
50V .05
50V
50V
470
560
680
820
.001u(
.0015
.0022
.005
.01
.02
.05
.1
.1
50V
50V
50V
.05
.05
.05
50V .05
50V .05
50V
50V
50V
50V
50V
50V
12V
50V
.05
.05
.05
.07
.07
.07
.10
.12
MONOLITHIC
.1uf-mono 50V .18
.047uf-mono50V .15
.47uf-mono 50V .25
.01uf-mono 50V .14
ELECTROLYTIC
.47uf
1
2.2
4.7
10
47
100
220
470
2200
RADIAL
50V
25V
35V
50V
50V
35V
16V
35V
25V
16V
.14
.14
.15
.15
.15
.18
.18
.20
.30
.60
COMPUTER
GRADE
26,000uf 30V 3.95
OPTO-ISOLATORS
4N26
4N27
4N28
4N33
4N35
|4N37
MCT-2
LMCT-6
1N751
1N759
1N4148
1N4004
KBP02
KBP04
VM48
1.00
1.10
.69
1.75
1.25
1.25
1.00
1.50
MCA-7
MCA-255
IL-1
ILA-30
ILQ-74
H11C5
TIL-111
TIL-113
4.25
1.75
1.25
1.25
2.75
1.25
1.00
1.75 J
MICRODEUIGES
BYPASS CAPS
'II
miCROPRICES
TRANSISTORS
.01 UFDISC
.01 UF MONOLITHIC
.1 UF DISC
.1 UF MONOLITHIC
100/6.00
100/12.00
100/8.00
100/15.00 J
DIODES
5.1 volt zener .25
12.0 volt zener .25
(1 N91 4) switching 25/1 .00
400PIV rectifier 10/1.00
200PIV1. Samp bridge .45
400PIV 1. Samp bridge .55
Dip-Bridge ,SSj
NEW UN-USED
MUFFIN FANS
1 4.68" Square
1 3.125" Square
HEAT SINKS
I TO-3 style
I TO-220 style
SWITCHES
I SPDT mini-toggle
I DPDT mini-toggle
IsPST mini-pushbutton
14.95 1
14.95
.95 1
.35 1
1.25 I
1.50 I
.39j
2N918
MPS918
2N2102
2N2218
2N2218A
2N2219
2N2219A
2N2222
PN2222
MPS2369
2N2484
2N2905
2N2907
PN2907
2N3055
3055T
2N3393
2N3414
2N3563
2N3585
| PN3565
MPS3638
MPS3640
PN3643
| PN3644
MPS3704
.50
.25
.75
.50
.50
.50
.50
.25
.10
.25
.25
.50
.25
.125
.79
.69
.30
.25
.40
.40
.25
.25
.25
.25
.25
.15
MPS3706
2N3772
2N3903
2N3904
2N3906
2N4122
2N4123
2N4249
2N4304
2N4401
2N4402
2N4403
2N4857
PN4916
2N5086
PN5129
PN5139
2N5209
2N6028
2N6043
2N6045
MPS-A05
MPS-A06
MPS-A55
TIP29
TIP31
TIP32
.15
1.85
.25
.10
.10
.25
.25
.25
.75
.25
.25
.25
1.00
.25
.25
.25
.25 |
.25
.35
1.75 I
1.75
.25
.25
.25
.65
.75
.79 ,
LED LAMPS
1-99
I JUMBO RED .10
1 JUMBO GREEN .18
I JUMBO YELLOW .18
LLED MOUNTING HARDWARE .10
100-up
.09
.15
.15
.09
LED DISPLAYS
HP 5082-7760
MAN 72
MAN 74
FND-357 (359)
FND-500 (503)
FND-507(510)
ItIL-311 4x7
.43"
.3"
.3"
.375"
.5"
.5"
.270" HEX W/LOGIC 9.951
cc
1.29
CA
.99
CC
.99
CC
1.25
CC
1.49
CA
1.49
RESISTORS
V# WATT 5% CARBON FILM ALL
STANDARD VALUES
FROM 1 OHM TO 10 MEG OHM
50 PCS. SAME VALUE .025 |
100 PCS. SAME VALUE .02
L1000 PCS. SAME VALUE .015 J
1uf
4.7
10
10
22
47
100
100
150
220
330
500
1000
1500
5000
AXIAL
50V
16V
16V
50V
16V
50V
15V
35V
25V
25V
16V
16V
16V
16V
16V
.14
.14
.14
.16
.14
.20
.20
.25
.25
.30
.40
.42
.60
.70
8 pin ST
.13
14 pin ST
.15
16 pin ST
.17
18 pin ST
.20
20 pin ST
.29
22 pin ST
.30
24 pin ST
.30
28 pin ST
.40
40 pin ST
.49
64 pin ST
4.25
IC SOCKETS
100
.11
.12
.13
.18
.27
.27
.27
.32
.39
call
ST^SOLDERTAIL
8 pin WW .59 .49
14 pin WW .69 .52
16 pin WW .69 .58
18 pin WW .99 .90
20 pin WW 1.09 .98
22 pin WW 1.39 1.28
24pinWW 1.49 1.35
28 pin WW 1.69 1.49
| 40 pin WW 1.99 1.80
WW = WIREWRAP
16 pin ZIF 5.95 call
I 24 pin ZIF 7.95 call
28 pin ZIF 8.95 call
ZIF = TEXTOOL
(Zero Insertion Force)
DIP
SWITCHES
4 POSITION
5 POSITION
6 POSITION
7 POSITION
L 8 POSITION
.65
.90 |
.90 I
.95 I
.95 J
JDR Microdevices
1224 S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128
800-538-5000 • 800-662-6279 (CA)
(408) 995-5430 • Telex 171-110
VISIT OUR RETAIL STORE
HOURS: M-W-F, 9-5 T-Th., 9-9 Sat. 10-3
PLEASE USE YOUR CUSTOMER NUMBER WHEN ORDERING
TERMS: Minimum order $10. For shipping and handling include
S2.50 lor UPS Ground and $3.50 for UPS Air. Orders over 1 lb. and
foreign orders may require additional shipping charges — please
contact our sales department for the amount. CA residents must
include 6% sales tax, Bay Area and LA residents include 6V*%. Prices
subject to change without notice. We are not responsible tor
typographical errors. We reserve the right to limit quantities and to
substitute manufacturer. All merchandise subject to prior sale.
Copyright 1983 JDR Microdevices
554 BYTE January 1984
Circle 203 on inquiry card.
2732
32K EPROM
276a
64K EPROM
MICROCOMPUTER
HARDWARE HANDBOOK
FROM ELCOMP — $14.95
Over 800 pages of manufacturers data
sheets on most commonly used IC's.
Includes:
• TTL — 74/74LS and 74F
• CMOS
• Voltage Regulators
• Memory — RAM, ROM, EPROM
• CPU's — 6800, 6500, Z80, 8080,
8085, 8086/8
• MPU support & interface -
6800, 6500, Z80, 8200, etc.
BEST SELLING
BOOKS
OSBORNE/MC GRAW-HILL
I Apple II User's Guide 16.95
CRT Controllers Handbook 9.95
I 68000 Assembly Language
Programming 16.99
| CBASfC User Guide 15.00 |
SYBEX
I Your First Computer 8.95 I
I The CP/M Handbook 14.95
The PASCAL Handbook 18.95 |
Microprocessor Interfacing
Techniques 17.95J
TRANSFORMERS
FRAME STYLE
I 12.6V AC 2amp 4.95 1
12.6VACCT 2amp 5.95
12.6VACCT 4amp 7.95
12.6VACCT 8amp 10.95
]25.2VACCT 2amp 7.95 1
PLUG CASE STYLE
[12VAC 250ma 3.95 1
12V AC 500ma 4.95
12V AC lamp 5.95
1 12VAC 2amp 6.95 1
DC ADAPATER
1 6,9, 1 2 VDC selectable with universal I
I adapter 8.95
I NOTE: Please Include sufficient amountfor |
Lshipping on above Items.
DISK DRIVES
TANDON
I TM100-1 5/< (FOR IBM) SS/DD 229.00
I TM100-2 5% (FOR IBM) DS/DD 259.00
SHUGART
SA 400L 5V< (40 TRACK) SS/DD 199.95
S A 400 5/« (35 TRACK) SS/DD 1 89.95
PERTEC
FD-200 5% ss/dd 1 79.95
FD-250 5% ds/dd 1 99.95
MPI
MP-52 5// (for ibm) ds/dd" 249.00 |
NOTE: Please Include sufficient amount
for shipping on above Items.
FD 100-8
SHUGART 801 EQUIV.
SS/DD — 10/S175 EA.
8-INCH
DISK DRIVE!
SALE
FD 200-8
SHUGART 851 EQUIV.
DS/DD — 10/S220EA.
$189oo $23900
EDGE-CARD
CONNECTORS
S-100ST
3.95
S- 100 WW
4.95
72 pin ST
6,95
72 pin WW
7.95
50 pin ST
4.95
44 pin ST
2.95
,44 pin WW
4.95.
CABINETS FOR
CABINET #1 $29.95
I • DIMENSIONS 8 5 /a x 5 1 ?ie x 3 1! fa"
• COLOR MATCHES APPLE
I* FITS STANDARD 5V4" DRIVES,
INCL. SHUGART
• INCLUDES MOUNTING
HARDWARE AND FEET
NOTE: Please include sufficient amount for
Lshipping on above items.
5 1 A" DISK DRIVES
CABINET #2 $79.00
• COMPLETE WITH POWER
SUPPLY, SWITCH, LINE
CORD, FUSE & STANDARD
POWER CONNECTOR
• DIMENSIONS: 11V2X5 3 /4X3^16" I
• +5V @ 1 AMP, +12V @ 1 .5 AMP
• FITS STANDARD 5Va" DRIVES |
• PLEASE SPECIFY
GRAY OR TAN
UISIT DURING
OUR EXPANDED
RETAIL STORE HOURS
SATURDAY 10 to 3
CENTRONICS
IDCEN36 Ribbon Cable 36 Pin Male 8.95
1 I DCEN36/F Ribbon Cable 36 Pin Female 8.95
[ CEN36 Solder Cup 36 Pin Male 7.95
DIP CONNECTORS
DESCRIPTION
HIGH RELIABILITY
TOOLED ST IC
SOCKETS
CONTACTS 8
14
16
18
20
22
24
28
40
AUGATxx-ST
.99
.99
.99
1.69
1.89
1.89
1.99
2.49
2.99
COMPONENT
CARRIERS
(DIP HEADERS)
ICCxx
.65
.75
.85
1.00
1.25
1.25
1.35
1.50
2.10
RIBBON
CABLE
DIP PLUGS (IDC)
IDPxx
For order instructions see "I DC Connectors'
1.45
1.65
4.15
below.
RIBBON CABLE
D-SUBMINIATURE
CONTACTS
SINGLE COLOR
COLOR CODED
r
10'
r
10'
10
.50
4.40
.83
7.30
16
.55
4.80
1.00
8.80
20
.65
5.70
1.25
11.00
25
.75
6.60
1.32
11.60
26
.75
6.60
1.32
11.60
34
.98
8.60
1.65
14.50
40
1.32
11.60
1.92
16.80
50
1.38
12.10
2.50
22.00
DESCRIPTION
SOLDER CUP
RIGHT ANGLE
PC SOLDER
IDC
RIBBON CABLE
HOODS '
MALE
FEMALE
MALE
FEMALE
MALE
FEMALE
BLACK
GREY
ORDER BY
DBxxP
DBxxS
DBxxPR
DBxxSR
IDBxxP
IDBxxS
HOOD-B
HOOD
CONTACTS 9
15
25
37
50
2.08
2.69
2.50
4.80
6.06
2.66
3.63
3.25
7.11
9.24
1.65
2.20
3.00
4.83
2.18
3.03
4.42
6.19
3.37
4.70
6.23
9.22
3.69
5.13
6.84
10.08
1.25
1.60
1.60
1.25
2.95
3.50
For order instructions see "I DC Connectors" below.
MOUNTING HARDWARE 1.00
IDC CONNECTORS
DESCRIPTION
SOLDER HEADER
RIGHT ANGLE
SOLDER HEADER
WW HEADER
RIGHT ANGLE
WW HEADER
RIBBON
HEADER SOCKET
RIBBON
HEADER
RIBBON
EDGE CARD
ORDER BY
IDHxxS
IDHxxSR
IDHxxW
IDHxxWR
IDSxx
IDMxx
IDExx
CONTACTS 10
20
26
34
40
50
.82
1.29
1.68
2.20
2.58
3.24
.85
1.35
1.76
2.31
2.72
3.39
1.86
2.98
3.84
4.50
5.28
6.63
2.05
3.28
4.22
4.45
4.80
7.30
1.15
1.86
2.43
3.15
3.73
4.65
5.50
6.25
7.00
7.50
8.50
2.25
2.36
2.65
3.25
3.80
4.74
ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS: Insert the number of contacts In the position marked "xx" of the "order by" part number listed. Example: A 10 pin right angle solder style
header would be IDH10SR.
Copyright 1983 JDR Microdevices
Circle 203 on inquiry card.
BYTE January 1984 555
FOR APPLE COMPUTER USERS
#
JDR Microdevices
TS
6ET SLIM IN 1984!
SK DRIVE
$23995
APPLE 11+
$4495
NCESALE!
$49951
JDR HALF-HEIGHT DISK DRIVE
• 35 Track w/Apple Controller
• 40 Track Controller and DOS
Available (Call for Price)
JDR 16K RAM CARD FOR APPLE II+
• 2 YEAR WARRANTY
Kit with Instructions $40.95
Bare PC Card $14.95
JDR COOLING FAN CLEARANCE SALE! |
• With Surge Protection
• Quantities Are Limited!
OTHER ACCESSORIES FOR APPLE II
ITHUNDERCLOCK $129.95
• Real-Time Clock Calendar • Software Included
I • Mountain Software Compatible
* BSR Control Options Available
IKRAFT JOYSTICK $39.95j
MANIA
VIEWMAX-80NOW ONLY *159 95
• 80 Column Card for Apple II +
• Video Soft Switch
• Inverse Video • 2 Year Warranty
VIEWMAX-80e NEW $1 29 95
• 80 Column Card for Apple Me
• 64K RAM Expandable to 128K
64K RAM Upgrade $47.60
GRAPHMAX $129 95
• Hi Resolution Graphics
• Printer Card
• Centronics Parallel Interface
Graphmax with Color
& Zoom Options $149.95
Mfl SVST€MS
|FD-35DISK DRIVE $229.95 1
• Shugart Mechanism — Made in U.S.A.
• Direct Replacement for Apple Disk II • 1 Year Warranty
i CONTROLLER CARD $69.95 1
• One Year Warranty
APPLE COmPATIBLE POWER SUPPLY
• Use Id Power Apple-Type Systems
• +5V@5A +12V@3A
-5V@.5A -12V@.5A
• Instructions Included
$7995
1
r *» ^
f
MasterCard
1
^ A d
I
tPERISOFT
■' PRINTERLINK
FEDERAL EXPRESS
SERVICES
AVAILABLE
• LowCost Centronics
Parallel Interface with
Cable and Manual
MESSENGER
• Serial Interface
Connects Virtually
Any Serial Device
• Includes Cable
TIMELINK
• Real-Time Clock
Calendar with Alarm
Feature
L ALL WITH ONE YEAR WARRANTY
$5900
ER
$9900
C
$8400
MONITORS
MONOCHROME
BMC BM 12AUW GREEN 12" NEW $ 89.95
BMC BM 12AUY 18 MHZ AMBER $ 139.95
NEC JB1201M- 20 MHZ GREEN $ 169.00
ZENITH ZVM-121 - 15 MHZ GREEN $ 99.00 1
COLOR
BMC BM-AU9191U COMPOSITE 13" $ 279-00
AMDEK color i - composite $ 335.00
NO C.O.D. ORDERS PLEASE
UERBATIM
DATALIFE
DISKETTES
SS/DD SOFT SECTOR
29.95 1
SS/DD 10 SECTOR HMD
29.951
NASHUA DISKETTES
574" WITH HUB RING
MD1 SOFT SECTOR, SS/SD 19.95
MD1D SOFT SECTOR, SS/DD 26.25
MD2D SOFT SECTOR, DS/DD 30.75
MD2F SOFT SECTOR,
DS/QUAD DENSITY 45.00
MD110 10 SECTOR HARD, SS/SD .... 19.95
MD210D 10 SECTOR HARD, DS/DD 30.75
8" WITHOUT HUB RING
FD1 SOFT SECTOR, SS/SD 24.75
FD1D SOFT SECTOR, SS/DD 30.00
FD2D SOFT SECTOR, DS/DD 36.75
JDR Microdevices
1224 S. Bascom Ave. • San Jose, CA 95128
(408) 995-5430 • Telex 171-110
Copyright 1983 JDR Microdevices
VISIT OUR RETAIL STORE
HOURS: M-W-F, 9-5 T-Th., 9-9 Sat. 10-3
PLEASE USE YOUR CUSTOMER NUMBER WHEN ORDERING
TERMS: Minimum order $10. For shipping and handling lnc\ude
$2.50 for UPS Ground and $3.50 for UPS Air. Orders over 1 lb. and
foreign orders may require additional shipping charges — please
contact our sates department for the amount. CA residents must
include 6% sales tax, Bay Area and LA residents include 6 Vi%. Prices
subject to change without notice. We are not responsible for
typographical errors. We reserve the right to limit quantities and tc
substitute manufacturer. All merchandise subject to prior sale.
556 BYTE January 1984
Circle 204 on inquiry card.
Unclassified Ads
WANTED: Information, documentation, and peripherals for
Altair 8800b manufactured by MITS to be used in a vocational-
electronics class. K. Luhrs. Education Department, California
Rehabilitation Center, FOB 1841, Norco, CA 91760.
WANTED: Hospital wishes to purchase or welcomes dona-
tion of one or more Tektronix 4051 computers. Dr. Peter Hulick,
Lynchburg General Hospital. Lynchburg, VA 24506.
WANTED: If you need answers to any questions concerning
CP/M. Pascal. C language, programming techniques, computer
and software selection criteria, or related topics, ask me. I will
locate the answers to your questions. SendSASE. Bhavisyat, RD I,
Box 331, Moundsville, WV 26041.
WANT ED : Unitarian-Universalist churches need used comput-
ing equipment, or unused manufacturer's over-runs or out-dated
units. Have immediate requirements for DEC-compatible LQ
Printer, two Atari-compatible disk drives, and two Atari-compatible
printers. All tax-deductible. Also, willing to exchange information
and equipment. Unitarian Universalist Computer Interchange, c/o
D P. Lantz, 1373 Howell Dr, Newark, OH 43055, (614) 344-6600.
FOR TRADE: I am interested in exchanging software with
Commodore 64 users. Send a full list of all your software, plus a
SASE for my list. ICCC, Kim A/loser. 1 27 East 1 5th St., New York,
NY 10003.
WANTED: We would like to exchange ideas, suggestions,
and information regarding software and hardware with other
Epson QX-1 owners from anywhere and everywhere. Bruce
and Lynn Holloway, 8 Tri City Rd. Apt. 10. Dover, NH 03820.
WANTED: Information on licensing, copyrighting, or
protecting software to insure the buyer agrees not to change
the software. V.E.H., 914 North Court, Rockford. IL 6! 103.
WANTED: People with knowledge of sequential text files of
Apple 1/ Plus and TRS-80 Models U and III. Possible formation of
a computer club (I have an Apple II Plus 64K and access to
TRS-80s). Also, information on procedures for on and off of
Reset and CTRL-C keys; knowledge and/or advice for selling
software and/or forming a software company; Applesoft 3.3
BASIC Compilers and offers too. Will trade Apple game pro-
grams and utilities. George R. Lewycky. 7 Durst Dr., Milltown.
NJ 08850.
WANTED: Last updated version of Heath tape O.S. and use
of Phi-Decks with Heath cassette board. C.T. Huth, 146 Schon-
hardt St., Tiffin. OH 44883.
WANTED: Information and/or correspondence with users of
Timex/Sinclair computers about clubs, programs, books,
modems, software, and hardware. I will also trade cassette pro-
grams. Greg C. Backman, Naval Base Seattle, 7500 Sand Point
WayNE, Seattle, WA981I5.
FOR SALE: Apple II 4BK Applesoft in ROM with Applesoft
and reference manuals; 2 Vi years old; SB90. Disk II with the
DOS 3.3 manual: S295. Disk II controller card: S60. All in good
condition: S 1 200. All -U.S. funds. I will pay shipping. Louis Roy,
2590 4th Ave., St-Georges Ouest, Cte Beauce, Quebec G5Y
3S8. Canada.
FOR SALE: HP-4IC system: HP-41C, asking SI 67/ was
$250; Quad RAM, S63/S95; Two each RAM, S20/S60; PPC
ROM with manuals, S200/S95; circuit-analysis ROM. S20/S30;
card reader, SI43/S2I5; bar-code reader, S83/S125;
homebrew I/O breakout. $ 10/S30; three 3-inch binders o f soft-
ware and information, S80/S 1 20. Everything above: asking
S500/was SI 020. shipping included. Jan Steinman. 4622
North 3rd St.. Arlington, VA 22203. (703) 524-7560.
TO TRADE: I would like to swap Apple II programs: games,
utilities, and business. Send me a list of your programs and I will
send you mine. Also looking for people interested in corre-
sponding. Matthias Pohl. Heidelbergerstr 33.690 1 Mauer. West
Germany.
WANTED: High school student and future hacker would ap-
preciate any kind of electronic junk or broken equipment you
could send. I will pay shipment. Ricardo Correa K., Met-
sakorventie 6. A. 4, 08500 Lohja as.. Finland.
FOR TRADE: I would like to swap IBM PC software. Need
graphics, games, utilities, financial, education, and home pro-
grams. Have many f-rencn programs, ^ena :>i oisk ror one or
mine. D. Coulombe. Box 1283 Notre-Dame, Levis, Quebec
G6W 6A8. Canada.
WANTED: Reset key cover for Apple II keyboard to prevent
Reset accidents when reaching for the Return key, or name of a
supplier. Paul Connolly, 3B9 Courtland Ave.. Stamford. CT
06906. {203)327-3318.
FOR SALE: Shugart SA400: S125. BASF 6106 SSDD: S160. S-100
8K static RAM board: S 35. M6B00S-100 board: S50. Datamedia
I52IA video terminal: S300 (SHOO new). All currently in use, like
new, with full documentation. UPS prepaid. Inquire about back
issues of BYTE. Robert Boyd. Woodlawn Ave., Box 1044. Kenne-
bunkport. ME 04046.
FOR SALE: HP 60BD Signal Generator 10-420 MHz spare
tubes, works: S325. Dual Siemens FDD-100-5 5'/« -inch drives with
power supply and signal cable: S400. New TI-59 calculator, hardly
used: SI25. K. W Humbard. Cape Lisburne AFS AK. APO
Seattle, WA 98716. (907) 725-1237.
WANTED: Computer pen pals who want to connect with
others via a modem, send your name, address, phone number,
time you're available, and interests (programming or games, etc.)
to Computer Pals, c/o Steve Smith. POB 27533, Atlanta. GA
30327.
FOR SALE: TRS-B0 Model I. Level II with I6K and lowercase
hardware installed: $250. Also. Radio Shack Line Printer II with
interface cable for TRS-80: S300. Keith Wishart. Rt. 2 Box 13.
Mapleton, MN 56065. (507) 524-3921.
FOR SALE: Radio Shack Quick Printer II with manual and
cables for connection to Model I CPU and expansion interface.
Perfect condition: S100. Michael Friedman, 495 East 18 St..
Brooklyn, NY 11226. (212) 282-4029.
WANTED: High school student with an interest in computers
is looking for donations of equipment or manuals in any condi-
tion. Will try to cover shipping costs. Scott Fahey, 7 Boundary
Circle, Brockton, MA 02^02. (617) 588-4444.
WANTED: For Texas Instruments Tl 99/4A: peripherals expan-
sion system, modem, drives, RS-232C interface card. P-code card,
or any other Tl hardware or software. Wayne M. DeMello. 26
Norwell St.. South Dartmouth. MA 02748. (617) 994-7885.
WANTED: Target game for SOL computer wanted, including
any information or source code (300 bps tape). Need informa-
tion on tape format. Also. Tarbell cassette interface for S25 or less.
Michael Dunn, 45 Livingston Rd. #50!. West Hill. Ontario MIE
IK8. Canada. (416) 266-1635.
FOR SALE: Radio Shack Line Printer II (same as Centronics
#730-1) with parallel interface for 9!/i-inch fixed-pinfeed or up to
8'/z-inch cut-sheet or roll paper; excellent condition, with dust
cover, one ribbon, and manual. Will include cable for TRS-80
Model III and/or a homemade interface for direct connection to
TRS-80 Model I keyboard, if desired. Shipped prepaid in US on
receipt of certified check: S3 50. offers considered. David Shinn.
28 Wagon Bridge Run. Moorestown, NJ 08057.
FOR SALE: Public domain software for VIC-20 and CBM-64.
Many useful games, utilities, and more. Includes complete
documentation. Program-Pac with 10 CBM-64 programs: S5. Ten
programs on tape for VIC-20: S5. Add SI for shipping. Prepaid;
check or money order. Also, inquire about user group forming.
J. Jesrani. 1052 Southeast 54th Ave., Ocala. FL 3267!.
FOR SALE: Apple II Plus 48K without disk or monitor. Two
years old, h perfect condition. Includes serial interface and 10
games on cassette: S900. Mike Underwood, 11122 Fairhaven Ct.
Apt E. Fairfax. VA 22030. (703) 3520180.
FOR SALE: Two OS! C3B four-user systems. Both feature 200K
static RAM, dual 8-inch floppy disks, and BOM Winchester disk.
One system features one Centronics printer port and three RS-232
ports. The other features one Centronics printer port and one
RS-232 port. Includes manuals, timeshare software, some customs
software, and assorted goodies: S 13.000 each or prices negotiable.
Rapid Die & Molding. 800 East Amelia. Cassville. Wl 53806. (608)
725-5114 (ask for Barry).
FOR SALE: TRS-80 Model 1 48K two Percom drives, lowercase
conversion, Percom double-density board, RS-232. cassette, Quick
Printer II. and all dust covers. All cables and many programs in-
cluded. SI 700; I'll ship. Rick Thompson, 1212 El Camino Reale.
Socorro, NM 87801.
FOR SALE: Ithaca Intersystems DPS-1 computer includes main-
frame, front panel, Series II processor board, MIO board with two
parallel and two serial ports, vectored interrupts. FDC-2 DMA disk
controller, 64K of 8-/!6-bit memory. Also, a Heath H-19 terminal,
and 8-inch double-density disk with power supply and cabinet.
Software includes Pascal-Z, CP/M, relocatable macro assembler,
and m-bug. New S5200, sell S2500. Keith Pattison. 9629
Bradhugh Ct.. Sacramento. CA 95827, (916) 361-3648.
FOR SALE: Commodore 64: S275. Gemini printer with inter-
face for Commodore: S450. Dennis Hallingstad, (608) 269-2392.
FOR SALE: BYrE Vol. I No. 12 and all issues of Vol. 2. 3. 4,
5, 6, and Vol. 7, No 9, (inclusive. 68 consecutive issues). Best
offer for all. W J. Holland. 2675 Gulf of Mexico. Longboat Key,
FL 33548.
FOR SALE: 12-inch RGB color monitor. Taxan RGB I; like new.
only used several hours. Compatible with Apple II. Apple III. IBM
and others; S295 or best offer. David Klotzbach, 25 Columbia
Circle, Plymouth. MA 02360. (617) 747-0430.
WANTED: Collections of software, programs, books, manuals,
or magazines to buy pertaining to Atari 400/800. Stephanie Ring,
Star Route Box 132. Staples. MN 56479. (218) 587-2838.
FOR SALE: Hewlett-Packard HP-41C calculator, card reader,
quad RAM: S225. Also, bar-code wand, timer module, extended
function, extended memory modules. AME port extender, and
HHC I6K EPROM box. Also, wanted: Commodore 2031 single
disk drive in good condition. John E. Barnes, 13 AlcottDr, Wilm-
ington. DE 19808. (302) 453-3622 days. 994-7831 evenings.
FOR SALE: Powertext Word Processing System by Beaman
Porter Inc.. Apple III. version 1.61. brand new: S100 or best offer
H. R. Flores. 113 Fairmont Ave., Worcester. MA 01604, (617)
756-2980.
FOR SALE: Okidata 84A printer with 200 cps, near letter-
quality, high-resolution (144 by 144 dots per inch) graphics,
downloadable character set. full software control. Also, free
PROMs from manufacturer for future enhancements, parallel in-
terface, friction/tractor feed, perfect condition: S700. 2K serial
board: S 75. Or both: S750. Make an offer. D B. Phuoc. Box 4403.
Hayward. CA 94540. (408) 970-3832.
FOR SALE: BYTE, all issues from 1976 thru 1979. Make offer.
G March, 2110 Country Club Pkwy. SE. Cedar Rapids. IA 52403.
(319) 364-0092.
FOR SALE: Novation 212 auto-cat modem. Brand new con-
dition, asking S500. Arnold Slavin, 655 Union Blvd.. Totowa. NJ
07511, (201) 256-2300.
WANTED: College student would appreciate a donated com-
puter for experiments. Vatche Terzian. 2421 Foothill Blvd. #22B.
La Verne. CA 91750.
WANTED: SOL-20 systems manual, sections III and IX and Solos
operating system manual. I will pay for duplication and postage.
Jeff Henkels, 1312 Birch, Ames. IA 50013. (515) 294-729B.
WANTED: I have a BASIC-E compiler and interpreter; I need
a users manual or other documentation for BASIC-E language.
Will buy, rent, or borrow. Wm. F. Fowler,' 4014 Hillwood Court.
Beltsville, MD 20705.
FOR SALE: New Xerox 820 CPU module with printer port,
communications port, and disk interface. ADDS Regent 40 ter-
minal with printer port and manuals. Diablo 1650 38-cps daisy-
wheel letter-quality printer with manual. RS-232C serial interface,
and 1200 bps. Debbie Pullinger. 208-D Stephen Ave. Mary Esther.
FL 32569, (904) 581-3319 after 5 p.m. CT.
FOR SALE: NEC 800IA computer, new condition: S375. Bob
Quint, 4378 Gina St.. Fremont, CA 94536, (415) 657-7385.
WANTED: Used, serviceable, Xerox 88 character, metalized
(9R2IIOO series) printwheels with over twenty typestyles. Which
typestyles do you have? Bob Greenawalt. 9239 De Adalena St.,
Rosemead, CA 91770, (213) 572-0419 evenings.
FOR SALE: BYTE, first 16 issues, good condition, best offer. Edw.
L Hayden, 16 Decatur Ave, Annapolis. MD 21403, (301)
267-6098.
WANTED: Apple II user interested in parameters needed to
back up protected software using current copy programs such
as Locksmith, Nibbles Away, etc. I am compiling a master list of
parameters. Those who contribute may receive a copy. Philip
McDermott, 1500 Aubudon Parkway, Louisville, KY 40213, (502)
635-7867.
WANTED: Hewlett-Packard HP-IL digital cassette drive. HP-1L
interface module, and HP-IL printer/plotter (HP 821 2A) all for
HP-4ICV Must be in good condition, reasonably priced. M. C
Akisoglu, 120 Canterbury Lane. McMurray, PA 15317. (412)
237-2690.
FOR SALE: Software (in English and Spanish) for engineering,
statistical analysis, process-control applications, as well as games
and useful word processors for the VIC-20 (4K RAM, 22 column).
Jose G. V. Humerez. casilla 525. Sucre, Bolivia, South America.
WANTED: To trade Visicalc and PFS File & Report programs
for Apple III and to swap for same for use on Apple II Plus. Also,
other programs to swap. Let's trade lists. G. M. Koellisch, 106 Reno
Dr.. Louisville. OH 44641.
FOR SALE: Heath H-8 computer. 32K RAM, serial/cassette in-
terface board, extender board, Heath H-9 video terminal. Soft-
ware: BUG-8, TED-8, HASL-8. Extended Benton Harbor BASIC
All schematics, assembly, and operation manuals. Also. EC-1100
BASIC programming course and EC-N08 Assembly Lanugage
course. Radio Shack CTR-41 cassette player. REmark magazine,
all issues. Bill Ward. 3621 Lowden. Kalamazoo. Ml 49008. (616)
345-2844.
FOR SALE: Several programs and gamesfor Victor 9000 avail-
able in MS-DOS. dBASE II, Wordstar/Mailmerge/Spelling. Mutliplan.
Report Manager (Victorcalc), Programmers Tool Kit. Graphics Tool
Kit, BASIC Compiler. Pascal, and FORTRAN: $100 to $200. Bruce
Glenn, Image Equipment. 90 Park Ave, New York, NY 10016.
(212) 697-8606.
FOR SALE: Two disk drives, Tandem TM100-I, 5'/«-inch (for
IBM). SS/DD drive, no power supply or case: S170 each. Jim
Lovewell. 1490 East Juana. San Leandro, CA 94577, (415)
351-6207.
UNCLASSIFIED POLICY: Readers who have computer equipment to buy, sell, or
trade or who are requesting or giving advice may send a notice to BYTE for inclusion
in the Unclassified Ads section. To be considered for publication, an advertisement must
be noncommercial (individuals or bona fidecomputer clubs only), typed double-spaced
on plain white paper, contain 75 words or fewer, and include complete name and
address. This service is free of charge; notices are printed once only as space permits.
Your confirmation of placement is appearance in an issue of BYTE as we engage in no
correspondence. Please allow at least three months for your ad to appear. Send your
notices to Unclassified Ads, BYTE/McGraw-Hill, POB 372, Hancock, MH 03449.
January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc. 557
Unclassified Ads
FOR SALE: A n unused Apple 1 1 Language Card: S 130 o r best
offer. K. Sung. 0-11 Pine Grove. Ypsilanti. Ml 48197. (313) 483-7998.
WANTED: Professional software for the dimensioning of heat-
plate exchangers when given the desired temperature sanitary
warm water can supply, the needed temperature of the primary
circuit, the dimensions and number of the plates, and the ther-
mic coefficient of the exchanger. Also, software for chemical
balance needed for ideal swimming pool-water conditions. M.
Riccieio. Lloyd & Limaro SA. Rue Dufour 34, CH-2500 Bienne 3.
Switzerland; tel: {032) 42 43 66; Telex: 349 475.
WANTED: Apple software to trade. Send a list and S*\SE of
your games or utilities software and I will send you mine. Ralph
Boswell. 8 George Washington Dr., Titusville, NJ 08560.
FOR SALE: Wintek System, 32K RAM, refresh card, two serial
and two parallel ports. Monitor in ROM, cassette interface at 300
to 2400 bps. BASIC in ROM. BK open ROM slots. 8-slot mother-
board, power supply. Wintek terminal. Setchell-Carlson monitor,
modem, TSC cassette BASIC (extended), TSC Relocator, Wintek
EditotfAssembler, and more: SI350. February 'SOthrough January
'83 68000 Micro Journal. Make an offer. John Adams, 8303 Ken-
wood Rd„ Cincinnati, OH 45236, (5131 793-2338.
WANTED: If you're building a digital synthesizer (like I am) or
if you want to share ideas, let's start DSIG, Digital Synthesis In-
formation Group. Shane Bouslough, Pond View Rd, RR2, Wading
River, NY 11792, (516) 929-6436.
WANTED: S-100 components. IMSAI or Cromemco mainframe,
Cromemco TUART. I6FDC, ZPU, 64KZ Rev J. CCS 2066 RAM.
Possibly interested in S-100 hard disk, 9-track 1600 BPI tape, and
I/O boards. Gary Sanford, POB 1689, Lowell, MA 01853. (617)
263-2389 evenings.
FOR SALE: DEC LSI II homebrew system. KD II CPU with
EIS/FIS.DLV 11, 64K-bytes RAM, Unibus adapter. RK II disk inter-
face with Diablo 33 disk drive. Also, second Diablo drive and
all power supplies. Will run BASIC and FORTRAN under RT II:
$2000 or best offer. David Barr, 37 Ruthven Place, Summit, NJ
07901. (201) 582-3227 days.
FOR SALE: Texas Instruments 742 intelligent terminal with a
Silent 700 ASR terminal, 80-column thermal printer, two built-in
digital-cassette tape drives under full program control, 2K of pro-
grammable RAM, a built-in 1200-bps modem (requires a DAA
phone company interface), and two serial RS-232C interfaces.
Also, Assembler, mini Word Processor, utilities, manuals, digital-
cassette tapes, and supplies included: $500. Neal Fahrer, 5909
Blairstone Dr., Culver City, CA 90230, (213) 836-8615,
WANTED: Zorba owners who would like to start (orjoin) a
user's group for Telcon's Zorba to explore its potential by exchang-
ing information, ideas, advice, software, and a newsletter. Jeffrey
Timm, 6-J Aspinwood Way. Baltimore, MD 21237.
FOR SALE: Burroughs L5000 accounting machine in excellent
condition. Printer has 25-inch carriage with 250 print positions
and three feeds: one friction and two pin. Full alpha and numeric
keyboards with 24 auxiliary subroutine keys. Built-in hard disk and
paper-tape reader. Would consider trade for mini computer system
or 7? David A. Livsey. POB 990. Escondido. CA 92025.
WANTED: Names and addresses of Superbrain users groups
around the country that I may correspond with orjoin. Also in-
terested in CP/M users groups using 5/4 -inch disk formats. Want
to sell: printer cable for Atari 850 interface to standard 36-pin
parallel-printer port. Reasonable. L. David Paquette, 14 North
Ridge. Ballston Lake, NY 12019. (518) 899-6376.
BOMB
BYTE's Onooina Monitor Box
Article #
Page
Article
Author(s)
I
37
Build the Circuit Cellar Term-Mite ST Smart Terminal,
Part 1: Hardware
Garcia
2
53
BYTE West Coast: Beyond the Word Processor
Lemmons
3
61
User's Column: Too Many Leads, or What in
*;?!#"*? Goes First?
Pournelle
4
104
Reason and the Software Bus
Korns
5
122
A General-Purpose Robot-Control Language
Prendergast,
Slade,
Winkless
6
134
1 984, the Year of the 32-bit Microprocessor
Mateosian
7
154
Memory Cards: A New Concept in Personal
Computing
Mills
8
172
Computer-aided Design
Jadrnicek
9
213
Speech Recognition: An Idea Whose Time Is
Coming
White
10
226
Using Natural-Language Systems on Personal
Eisenberg,
Computers
Hill
11
243
Portables— 1 984 and Beyond: Idea-Processing Soft-
Winer,
ware and Portable Computers
Winer
12
251
Beyond the Application Program: A Different
Approach to Integrated Software
Banning
13
268
The Zenith'.- Z- 100
Skier
14
282
Pinball Construction Set
Holden
15
288
The TRS-80 Model 16B with Xenix
Barry,
Jacobson
16
324
Naturallink to Dow Jones News/Retrieval
Haas
17
339
the Vamp DVM-1 Computer/TV Interface Kit
Gillette
18
349
The Einstein Compiler
Callamaras
19
354
The Basis 108
Bates
20
362
Bubbles on the S-100 Bus, Part 1: The Hardware
Wheeler
21
384
Mockingbird: A Composer's Amanuensis
Maxwell,
Ornstein
22
403
The VU68K Single-Board Computer
Carter,
Bonds
23
417
Translating the SAS Language into BASIC
Bass
24
437
A Software Review Method That Really Works
Citron
25
442
Real-Time Clocks and PC-DOS 2.0
Broadwell
FOR SALE: New and used S-100 boards. Z80-based CPU
boards with serial port and parallel port: SI20. 8K static RAM
boards: S40. Input/output boards with three serial and two parallel
ports: S95. L. Cobbledick, 192 River Valley Dr., Chesterfield, MO
63017, (314) 5760957 nights or 569-2660 days.
FOR SALE: Memorex 5440 disk cartridges for Diablo series 40
disk drives or CDC Hawk disk drives. $15 each or will trade. Blane
woodard, 4942 North Diversey, Whitefish Bay Wl 53217, (414)
963-1423 evenings.
WANTED: High school student/programmer seeking corie-
spondence with owners of TRS-80 Color Computers to exchange
programs and information. Glen Button, POB 536. Cheshire. CT
06410.
FOR TRADE: Large library of Apple software to trade. Send
me a list with SASE of your programs and I'll send you mine.
Wayne Reibold. 205 North Loraine Ave., Glendora. CA 91740.
A Popular Preview
The Product Preview of Hewlett-
Packard's HP 150 proved to be the
most popular article in BYTE's Oc-
tober issue. Staffers Phil Lemmons
and Barbara Robertson will have to
forfeit the $ 100 prize. For his User's
Column, "New Computers, Boards,
Languages, and Other Tidbits," Dr.
Pournelle won the $50 prize. For
third place, readers selected "An In-
terview: The HP 150's Design-team
Leaders," also written by the authors
of October's winning Product Pre-
view. In fourth place \s "The Unix
Tutorial, Part 3: Unix in the Micro-
computer Marketplace," written by
David Fiedler. And Steve Garcia
won fifth place with the second part
of his Circuit Cellar project entitled
"Build the Micro D-Cam Solid State
Video Camera, Part 2: Computer In-
terfaces and Control Software." Con-
gratulations to these authors.
Correspondence
Address all editorial correspondence to the editor
at BYTE. POB 372. Hancock. NH 03449. Unaccept-
able manuscripts will be returned if accompanied
by sufficient first-class postage. Not responsible for
lost manuscripts or photos. ©pio/ons expressed by
theauthote are not necessarily those of BYTE. En-
tire contents copyright.© 1983 by BYTE Publica-
tions Inc. All rights reserved. Where necessary, per-
mission is* granted by the copyright owner for librar-
ies and others registered with the Copyright
Clearance Center (CCCj to photocopy any article
herein for the flat fee of $ 1 .50 percopy of the arti-
cle or any part thereof. Correspondence and pay-
ment should be sent directly to the CCC 2 1 Con-
gress St.. Salem. MA 01970. Specify ISSN 0360-
•5280/83. S 1 .50. Copying done fonother than per-
sonal or internal reference use without the permis-
sion of McGraw-Hill is prohibited. Requests for
special permission qr bulk orders should be ad-
dressed to the publisher. BYTE® is available in
microform from University Microfilms International.
300 North Zeeb Rd.', Dept. PR. Ann Arbor. Ml
48106 USA or 18 Bedford Row. Dept. PR. London
WCIR 4Ej England.
558 January 1984 © BYTE Publications Inc.
Reader Service
Inquiry No.
Page No.
1 1 SUPER WAREHOUSE 443
2 1ST NATIONAL COMPUTER 523
* 1ST PLACE SYSTEMS 445
* 20TH CENTURY PLASTICS 424
4 3R COMPUTERS 363
5 800 SOFTWARE 69
490 A-SYSTEMS 439
456 A.S.T. RESEARCH 113
7 AB COMPUTERS 505
8 ABC COMPUTER LTD 518
9 ABC DATA PRODUCTS 238
10 ACL INC. 276
11 ACTION COMPUTER 89
12 ADDMASTER CORP. 506
13 ADROIT ELECTRONIC INC. 550
14 ADV. COMP. PROD. 538. 539
" ADV. DIGITAL CORP. 247
15 ADV.GRAPHIC ENGINEERING 512
16 ADV. SYS. CONCEPTS 470
* ALF PRODUCTS, INC. 18
474 ALPHA BYTE 304
17 ALPHA ENTERPRISES 550
488 ALPHA NUMERIC 439
20 AM MICRO 396
21 AMDEK CORP. 52
22 AMER. BUYING & EXPORT 298
24 AMER. SQUARE COMP. 301
* AMERICAN EXPRESS CO. 431
' AMERICAN TOURISTERS 97
26 ANADEX 157
27 ANN ARBOR TERMINALS 366
28 ANTEX DATA SYS. 428
29 APPARAT INC. 107
485 APPLE COMPUTER INC. CM, 1
30 APPLE COUNTRY LTD. 501
31 APPLEWARE INC. 514
32 ARTIFICIAL INT'L RESEARCH 516
33 ASHTON-TATE 303
34 ASHTON-TATE 399
35 ATARI SOFT 408. 409
36 AVOCET 155
37 B&B ELECTR. 506
39 BASF SYSTEMS 71
40 BAY TECHNICAL ASSOC. 259
38 BELANGER RESEARCH ASSOC, 426
41 BELL, JOHN ENGR. 503
42 BG COMPUTER APPLICATIONS 502
43 BHRT 212
* BINARY TECHNOLOGY 550
' BORLAND INT'L. 183
46 BOTTOM LINE. THE 67
47 BROKER SOFTWARE SERV. 320
48 BUSINESS SOFTWARE 87
49 BUSINESS SOFTWARE 87
* BYTE PUBL. BACK ISSUES 398
* BYTE PUBL. INC ..479
50 BYTEC HYPERION 72, 73
51 BYTEK COMP. SYS. CORP. 334
52 BYTEWRITER 136
53 C WARE 358
* C-SYSTEMS 530
55 C.S.D. INC. 188
383 CABLES UNLTD. 514
56 CALIF. DATA CORP. 506
* CALIF. DIGITAL 540, 541
* CALIF. MICRO COMP. 394
57 CDR SYSTEMS 512
* CENTENNIAL COMP. PROD. 84. 85
497 CHAMPION SOFTWARE 273
498 CHAMPION SOFTWARE 273
58 CHANNEL CONNECTION 499
59 CHIPS & DALE 514
60 CHRISLIN IND. INC. 423
61 CLEO/COPLEY PRESS 309
62 CLEVELAND CODONICS 96
63 CMC, INT'L. 30
65 COGITATE 516
66 COLORADO COMP. PERIPH. 518
67 COLUMBIA DATA PROD. 189
68 COMMAND SERVICES CORP. 504
69 COMMERCIAL BUSINESS SYS. 498
70 COMMUNICATIONS ELECTR. 364
71 OOMP. COMPNTS. UNLTD. 527
72 COMP COMPNTS. UNLTD. 528, 529
76 COMP.WHOLESALERS OF
FREDERICK 475
' COMPAQ COMPUTER CORP. 12, 13
78 COMPETITIVE EDGE 142
79 COMPUADD 502
80 COMPUADD 502
61 COMPUADD 502
82 COMPUADD 502
381 COMPUMEDIA 530
Inquiry No.
Page No.
83 COMPUPRO 277
* COMPUPRO 389
84 COMPUSERVE 163
85 COMPUSHACK 405
86 COMPUTER ACCESSORIES 181
87 COMPUTER CHANNEL 245
88 COMPUTER CLASSIFIED 432
89 COMPUTER CONTINUUM 504
90 COMPUTER DISCOUNT PROD. 524
91 COMPUTER FOOD PRESS 516
93 COMPUTER INNOVATIONS 260
94 COMPUTER MAIL ORDER 382, 383
* COMPUTER PLUS 215
95 COMPUTER POST INC. 515
96 COMPUTER PRICE CLUB 516
97 COMPUTER SOFTWARE ASSOC. 512
98 COMPUTER SOFTWARE STORE 328
455 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY 394
101 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY 504
102 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY 518
* COMPUTER WAREHOUSE 147
99 COMPUTERFEST USA 186, 187
103 COMPUTER-MATE INC. 250
104 COMPUTERS AND MORE 83
105 COMPUTERS AND MORE 508
106 COMPUTERS WHOLESALE 203
493 COMPUTRONIX 476
107 CONCURRENT CORP. 380
* CONLEY GRAPHICS 439
73 CONROY-LAPOINTE 210, 211
74 CONROY-LAPOINTE 210, 211
75 CONROY-LAPOINTE 210, 211
109 CONSOLINK 114
110 CONSOLINK 115
111 CONTINENTAL PRESS INC. 516
333 CONTROL DATA 151
112 CONTROL ELECTR. INC. 215
114 CORONA DATA SYS. 74
115 CORVUS SYS. INC. 129
116 COSMOS 239
487 CRE WHOLESALE PROD. 439
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History will record as a profound irony
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A
L E A D I N C EDGE*
Leading Edge Products Inc., Headquarters and Retail Division, 225 Turnpike Street, Canton, Mass. 02021 (800) 343-6833 (617) 828-8150
*1BM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
Call Margie for the dealer nearest you.
Circle 219 on inquiry card.
Radio Shack Presents the
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A DIVISION OF TANDY CORPORATION
Circle 303 on inquiry card.
Prices apply at participating Radio Shack stores and dealers.
CP/M Plus is a trademark of Digital Research.